Forbidden
by Ashplosion
Summary: "The Queen blamed the destruction of the Moon Kingdom on them. On us, though today we are not the women we had been then. We didn't even know them. We barely had their memories. I couldn't understand Venus and Mars neglecting duties because they were so busy falling in love with one another, but Luna told the story of jealousy, passion, and fear. She told the story of destruction."
1. Forbidden

**Author's notes:** We're playing with the PGSM canon here, though I've taken some liberties with the Silver Millennium portions of this story. Those portions will borrow heavily from the anime and manga canons, as PGSM doesn't give us much information concerning that era. Finally, each chapter will have the point of view clearly marked. Present-day characters will use their canon family names, while SilMil-era characters will use their planets as surnames.

* * *

What though the sea with wves continuall  
Doe eate the earth, it is no more at all;  
Ne is the earth the less, or loseth ought:  
For whatsoever from one place doth fall  
Is with the tyde unto another brought:  
For there is nothing lost, that may be found, if sought.

Edmund Spenser, _The Faerie Queene_

Forbidden: Aino Minako

 _Forbidden_. The word rang in my ears again; it was all I could do to suppress the sob threatening to rip itself from my throat. Luna had said Rei and I were simply forbidden to fall in love.

Logically, I know that we probably wouldn't have met in this lifetime if we hadn't been Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus, but in that moment, and even now, I wish we hadn't been. I'd rather have been alone my entire life than been ripped away from my intense relationship with my Martian. My thought cycle had already completed itself. Once again, I came back to the word _forbidden_.

Artemis was wholly unhelpful, as he'd aligned himself with Luna, albeit wistfully. That gentle, calm voice of his explained that the Queen had forbidden relationships between Venus and Mars, and she had asked Artemis and Luna to prevent the relationship from ever occurring again. Venus and Mars' consent didn't matter; Rei and I hadn't been given a choice. The Queen blamed the destruction of the Moon Kingdom on them. On us. On us, though today we are not the women we had been then. Those women, we didn't even know them. We barely had their memories.

I couldn't understand Venus and Mars neglecting duties because they were so busy falling in love with one another, but Luna told the story of jealousy, passion, and fear. She'd told the story of destruction.

 _Forbidden_.

Artemis took over; neither of us saw Luna leave. He explained, with great embarrassment, that Venus and Mars'... "bedroom activities," as he put it, interfered with Mars' meditation and Venus' diplomacy. Jealousy had raged between the two Senshi and two of Endymion's generals.

I couldn't believe anything the two had said. The relationship between Venus and Mars had been an intense one, but I couldn't find a single instance in all of Venus' memories where duty had been disregarded. The (regrettably) few memories I did have of Venus and Mars' so-called "bedroom activities" included one of passion interrupted... because of _duty_.

Couldn't they see? If we were willing to part then, we were willing to part in this life as well? The parting never needed to be permanent. The likelihood of us ever having to part _in the middle of making love_ was much smaller than it had ever been for Venus and Mars! I was comfortable in the knowledge that Rei would place duty above me. We'd both done so since the relationship began; we'd agreed to do so immediately after the first battle we'd stood side-by-side as lovers, rather than friends.

 _Forbidden_.

I resolved to talk to Rei; maybe the relationship could continue. Maybe coming out to the others was a mistake. If we hadn't come out, surely two cats wouldn't have just spent an hour and a half lecturing me. Blaming me. Blaming me for a tragedy I didn't cause and couldn't really remember. Perhaps we could've stayed happy in isolation.

I knew that wasn't really a possibility.

I closed my eyes as he droned on about duty, but by now, the lecture was going in one ear and out the other. I could predict her reaction: anger, hurt, confusion. Venus had been a far better leader than I am, but Mars had been as solid and strong in her convictions as Rei. Perhaps Rei is stronger than Mars was.

I had to talk to her. I just had to find a way to get to her.

The only thing I could think of was to cut him off and agree. He'd be suspicious, but I was sure I could spin the situation to my benefit. "Artemis, stop." He blinked, stopped pacing on my bed, and sat down.

"Minako?"

"If it needs to end..." I sucked in a deep breath before continuing, "I can end it. I don't understand why the past impacts us today, and I can't force myself to stop loving her, but if I need to..." Damn it, why was I crying? "If I need to end it, I can." Artemis placed a paw on my hand and sighed.

"Look, Minako. I... don't agree with interfering with your life. I have my orders, and I am loyal to the Queen." He looked away from me for a moment. "I trust you to do what is right." I nodded numbly as he hopped off the bed. "Go to her."

I didn't reply as I grabbed my jacket and walked out the door.


	2. Shittenou

**Author's notes:** Sky King Haruka Tenoh is awesome and deserves a shout out for feedback provided.

* * *

"Follow the light of your intuition, and keep away from the darkness of convention." - Michael Bassey Johnson, _The Infinity Sign_

The Shittenou: Mars Rei

My senses told me these "shittenou" were bad. The fire agreed with my senses. The dignitaries from Earth had visited a few times, much to my displeasure. I'd tried to warn Venus that no good could come of this, but she seemed hell-bent on brushing me off. My observations were turned over to the fire on a nightly basis, and what I saw-both with my own eyes and in my premonitions-didn't change much from night to night.

I'm a Martian. While I prefer a life of love and peace, I was bred for war. My people are constantly mired in civil war. The current war has raged on for centuries, and it's not showing any sign of letting up.

It doesn't hurt that I'm the literal embodiment of the god of war.

These Earthlings were making themselves a little too obvious in a basic tactic of war-divide and conquer. The four shittenou had sized us up fairly well, and then they attempted to pair themselves off with the most fitting counterpart of us senshi. Kunzite, the leader, had certainly taken a shine to Venus. Of course, this did nothing to pacify the native Martian in me. I didn't like the way he looked at her, and I didn't like the fact that she was oblivious. I wanted to make it abundantly clear to this Earthling that Venus is _mine_. I feared my foresight would be interpreted as jealousy and possessiveness by Venus, and I feared _that_ would damage our relationship.

Jadeite, the youngest, was a bit of a pretty boy. I personally found nothing attractive about him, and I couldn't really understand why he was a general on their planet. He didn't seem to have Kunzite's military smarts. I would've bet Mercury could easily take him in a battle. He lacked Zoicite's quiet command of respect, and he just didn't have Nephrite's grit. His inwardly-drawn nature fit him well with Mercury in the divide-and-conquer tactic, but he and Mercury had seemed to find a genuine common ground. I didn't really sense any threats from this man (if he could be called a man at all). I somewhat wondered if he was merely Kunzite's pawn, but he seemed to have loyalties that lie elsewhere. In fact, they all did, with Zoicite's being a slightly different capacity.

Nephrite seemed to have a slightly more relaxed nature about him than Jadeite, but he was also very inwardly-drawn and never truly at ease. I think he was simply eager to please, but I was never really sure of _who_ he was trying to please. Sometimes it seemed as if he was more loyal to Kunzite rather than Endymion, but other times, he had a complete disdain for Kunzite. He did have the grit of someone who would fight to a bitter end, but I suspected he wouldn't do so for Endymion or even Kunzite. I felt a strange need within him; it was almost like he needed to atone himself for something in a dark past. A dark past had always haunted Jupiter as well.

That left Zoicite to me. He was attractive, and I could see why the Queen's servants swooned over him. He wasn't as attractive as his leader, but he had a quiet humility and shyness about him that made him simply endearing. I found that he and I had quite a bit in common, with our focus in more spiritual arts. He was a lover of Earth's magic, and I had my fire and meditation. I think Zoicite's ability to find common ground with me was what alarmed me the most; he was certainly the most well-suited to distract me. Of course, this simply put me even more on guard. I could see through them, even if my comrades in arms couldn't. I wasn't sure at the time who the bigger threat was—Zoicite or Kunzite.

Zoicite intrigued me, though. Of the four men, he was the only one who seemed truly loyal to Endymion, and I suspected he was the only one who would actually lay down his life for his master. This, I sensed, was a huge schism between us and them; any of the four of us would die for the Queen or her daughter. It didn't really matter that none of us liked the Princess, but everyone in the system adored the Queen and the peace she'd managed to bring across the system. Well, to everywhere but Earth and Mars.

Endymion and Serenity, while absolutely taken with each other, seemed to have no idea what was going on.

This didn't shape up well in my mind. There was no way in the twin hells of the Martian moons a union between Earth and the Moon would ever work. Earth seemed fearful of Lunarians, and the Lunarian public were fearful of the Earthlings. I suppose stranger things have happened. My lover is a Venusian after all, but we have the advantage of having the gods on our sides.

Endymion's blindness to the loyalties of three of his generals bothered me more than anything. It wouldn't be hard for the shittenou to turn on him, and if they did... I feared to think what might happen to the Princess. I feared the Moon may be blamed by Earth for the death of their prince. The fire showed me regular visions of war and death and destruction, and these were by no means a mere reflection of the daily slaughter of my homeworld. Gone were red dirt and blue sunsets of Mars, and in their place...

No. For now, I had to keep my eyes on these Earthlings. I refused to let my premonitions come true.


	3. Shattering

"Broken hearts made faults and fools of us all." - Natalia Jaster, _Trick_

Shattering: Aino Minako

Rei usually looked up and flashed me a bright smile as I approached, but this evening was much different. Unease settled in my bones as I slowed my pace; she merely kept the death grip on her broom and continued to sweep. She wouldn't raise her eyes to meet mine; they were glued firmly on the leaves she'd been swishing back and forth for who-knows-how-long.

"Minako-chan." I felt myself flinch at the return of the friendly suffix. She hadn't used the honorific with me for a long time.

"Reiko, can we talk?" She nodded slowly, but she still refused to look at me. She instead focused on the broom as she put it away. I wasn't sure I could take this; throughout the entire time I'd known Hino Rei, she'd never once failed to meet my eyes. It didn't matter the status of our relationship: commander and subordinate, bitter rivals, best friends, or lovers. She always looked me directly in the eye.

Her movements were slow and controlled as we moved toward her bedroom; my own movements were almost mechanical. The sound of the door sliding shut behind us grounded me into reality.

"Minako-chan, what did you wish to speak to me about?" She finally looked up, but it wasn't enough to meet my eyes. I sighed as it clicked where Luna had disappeared off to while Artemis and I were talking.

"Luna came by, didn't she?" Rei nearly nodded in response and turned to her bedroom window.

"Forbidden, Minako-chan."

"I know," I admitted softly.

"We're being blamed for the perceived faults of two women that lived thousands of years ago." I didn't respond; Rei already held a deeply-rooted hatred of the idea that she and Mars were the same person in any way. "Now we're being told that we can't love one another. I can't just switch it off, Mina." The nickname caught my attention even more than she already had it. I wasn't sure if she slipped up, or if she was giving in to what I hoped was the temptation to disregard this warning. I suspected... well, I wasn't sure what I suspected.

"I can't either, Reiko." She finally turned toward me, and those soft brown eyes met my own. "I don't know what to do. I don't know what we would've done back then. I can't recall the Queen ever forbidding our relationship, so this situation is foreign to me."

"It has to be over." I could feel my heart drop.

"What are you saying, Reiko?"

"I'm saying we have to end the relationship. We've been forbidden by someone who doesn't understand what happened back then to have something that allowed us to _better_ understand the world, both then and now. We agreed to put duty before love, Minako-chan. Obeying our orders is part of duty."

My world was starting to slip through my fingers, and I had a sudden headache. That was never a good sign. "You're certain is has to end? That we can't simply pretend it's over when the others are around?" She turned away from me again. "I know the secrecy was too much. But when secrecy is the only way..."

"I am bound to duty, just like you." I noticed her shoulders quivering, as if she were trying not to cry. I slowly moved toward her and rested my hand on one of them.

"There is no reason we can't perform our duties as expected and continue to-"

"-and bring dishonor to ourselves." I closed my mouth. "I remember what disobedience meant, back then. I don't care to remember, but I _do_ remember, Minako-chan. All of this, it's an insult to our judgment. That doesn't make it any less of an insult that we swore we would take. We're honor-bound to the oath, Minako... -chan." I noted the hesitation after my name.

"Reiko..." She shrugged my hand from her shoulder and put as much distance between us as she discreetly could.

"Please don't call me that. For whatever reason, we were chosen in this life, for this responsibility. I intend to fulfill my responsibility as required."

I couldn't think of a response, so I merely took a step toward her. She was shaking. "Rei..."

"Please leave, Minako-chan." Without another word, I turned and walked away from my shattering world.


	4. Kindred Spirits

"This is who I am; this is what I feel. Every time I breathe, my dream comes back to me." - Amaranthe, "Rain (It's All About Me)"

Kindred Spirits: Mars Rei

Venus had, once again, reminded me that we couldn't allow the Earthlings to know about our relationship. Our relationship wasn't exactly public knowledge, but Jupiter and Mercury knew. Same-sex relationships weren't exactly common in the Lunar Kingdom, but they weren't held with contempt. As a result, Venus and I had remained low-key... at least for now. I couldn't understand why Earth viewed lovers of the same sex as a wrong thing, but I had my orders. Of course, I was also very pissed off about the orders, and began stalking my way to the training ground to blow off a couple of hundred arrows and a large amount of steam. I really wanted nothing more than to rip Kunzite's smile off his face every time he was near Venus and inform him she was _mine_.

"Sailor Mars," That damn man. I turned to Zoicite, but didn't make too much of an effort to be friendly. He, in turn, didn't make an effort to pick up his pace to meet me.

"What?" I couldn't help the acerbic tone creeping into my voice. I really did not want to play nice with these Earthlings.

"I wanted to talk to you about something that should concern us both, as seconds-in-command of our groups." I sighed. What in the hell could concern us both? Zoicite raised an eyebrow; I hadn't meant to voice my thought. "I'm concerned about your leader... and Kunzite."

"I'm not following."

"I'm sure you've noticed how"—he trailed off and looked away for a moment before turning back to me—" _close_ Kunzite and Venus are growing." That damn man.

"Yes. What of it?"

"I feel this may pose a threat to the security of our respective charges."

"Why's that?" He moved closer and rested a hand on my shoulder.

"Mars... I'm not sure how to bring this up politely, but..."

"But what?" I cut him off. I didn't have time for this. He sighed, clearly frustrated with my demeanor.

"I'm not a fool." He dropped his voice. "You are in love with Venus."

He could've punched me and it would've had the same effect. I dropped the bow I had been carrying, and bent to retrieve it as slowly as I could. As my mind formulated denials, my tongue betrayed it. My voice was barely a whisper. "How did you know?"

"Mars, I'm not a fool."

"Who have you told?"

"No one. Again, I'm not a fool." He seemed testy and motioned for us to continue walking. "Someone who loves a member of the same-sex can often... identify kindred spirits." I cocked my head at him. It took a moment to register, but what he was saying clicked. He was coming out to me.

"You're in love with Endymion." He blushed at that.

"I am a kindred spirit, Mars. I'm sure you've heard how the other shittenou were appalled when they discovered our kindred spirits are not held with contempt in the Lunar Kingdom they way they are on Earth." I shook my head. Everything seemed too much.

I paused at the entrance to the training grounds and looked to the sky. No wonder he'd been paired with me in the divide-and-conquer tactic. _Kindred spirits_ , he'd called us. Did he pair himself off with me, or was he lying? Did the others know? He stepped close and placed his hand on my shoulder again, bringing me back to reality.

"I fear Venus and Kunzite, knowingly or not, may create friction between you and her. I fear that friction may cause mistrust should the need to fight arise. And if your princess is in danger..."

"Then your prince is in danger. That-" I checked myself from calling him a fool. "He'd rush in to save her, and then your services would be required."

"Exactly."

"How can I trust you, Zoicite? How do I know you won't tell anyone?" He moved closer still and draped his arm around my shoulders. Normally, I'd be uncomfortable with this, but his words had weight; I had to strain to hear his voice.

"I am in love with Endymion. On Earth, this is a crime punishable by death." A shiver shot through me. "You, Mars, literally hold my life in your hands. I _choose_ to trust you because you can help me separate Venus and Kunzite. You can help me save Endymion, should we need to... and I love him enough to risk my life if I have to." I nodded slowly.

"Your business is not mine to tell." He merely embraced me in response.


	5. Masks

"Sometimes, even to live is an act of courage." - Seneca

Masks: Aino Minako

I couldn't hear what Artemis was saying. I made the same circuit through my apartment, and I saw the same things each time. The fire place, the couch, the TV, the patio door. Fire place, couch, TV, patio door.

I stalked toward my bedroom; the fire place reminded me too much of her. The bed, though, only made it worse. We'd been in my bed the first time we made love. Everything had been nervous energy. I'd never shared my body with someone before that night, and neither had she. This wasn't helping either. I turned back to the living room and stepped onto the patio. I'd made this same circuit on a regular basis for nearly a week.

Artemis had followed me throughout this entire episode, still talking. I turned to him and sighed. "What?"

"I said, Mars and Venus... did not comply."

"So why in the hell would it even matter?"

"The Earthlings."

"What?" I really hadn't been paying attention. He started to speak, but I raised a hand to silence him. "Artemis, this time, we _are_ Earthlings."

"Minako-chan, I have my orders." I flopped onto a patio chair.

"And I have my feelings. You know as well as I do why the Moon Kingdom was destroyed." He turned away and did not reply. "I'm sure Luna knows why, as well."

"Luna only knows what the Queen told her."

"Then why in the hell haven't you set the record straight?!"

"Minako-chan, I tried to rea-"

"Enough! Reiko has already done as instructed. That's enough. I need to think, Artemis." He stared at me for a long moment and then stepped back inside.

So Rei was still in love with me. She'd stated she couldn't just "switch off" her feelings. I propped my feet on the patio table and closed my eyes as the wind wove though my hair.

* * *

As a battle raged on around us, I couldn't help myself. "I love you, you idiot!"

Mars approached me slowly and cupped my cheek. "I know," she stated simply before she kissed me. I wrapped my arms around her tightly; I couldn't be bothered to care that her blood was staining my clothes.

"Then don't finish this fight."

"Reality is a traitor; it's easy to misjudge things. We weren't born to live like this... to fake appearances and hide our souls behind these masks." With that, she turned and headed back toward the inferno

We always made it out alive, when the situation was certain death. Some way, we had faith that we would this time, too.

* * *

Thousands of years later, I toppled off my patio chair and onto the hard concrete. I was covered in a fine sheen of sweat, despite the chilly evening. I had no idea how long I'd been asleep, or where in the timeline that particular memory fell. I knew it wasn't the final battle, at least that much was certain. _We weren't born to live like this..._

Maybe I had a way to convince her to listen to me.

I ignored Artemis as I stalked out of the apartment, with one destination in mind: Hikawa. In hindsight, I shouldn't have just gone storming across Tokyo without a better disguise than a baseball cap and leather jacket. It didn't matter that night. My thoughts continued trailing back to that dream and its place in the timeline as I walked. I thought I had all my memories, but clearly, I didn't.

Maybe if I could just talk to her, we could figure this out. Maybe she'd listen to me. If we dove into the past, maybe, just maybe, we could find a way out of this mess. Maybe we could be together.

I have to admit, I was grateful for all the hard work my trainer had been putting me through lately. The steps leading to the shrine didn't seem so bad as the first time I'd been here. I wasn't entirely sure my reason for being here didn't have something to do with that, though. The sounds of a large bird taking flight startled me as I neared the top; I was never sure which raven was Phobos and which was Deimos.

Rei was putting a broom away as I caught up to her. "Minako-chan... Why are you doing this?" I knew what she really wanted to say. _Why are you torturing me when I'm following my orders?_ The unspoken question hung in the air, but I answered anyway.

"Having your life be decided by others... it's wrong, Reiko."


	6. Make Me Forget

"It's harder to light a candle, easy to curse the dark instead." - Nightwish, "Last Ride of the Day"

Make Me Forget: Mars Rei

The meeting concluded for the day, and I was thankful for the early hour. Zoicite nodded toward me subtly, and I turned to Venus. "Venus, may I have a word with you privately?" I could see him smile over her shoulder as Kunzite started to open his mouth. Zoicite cut his head toward his commander.

"Kunzite, might I request the same?"

The pair of them vanished, and Venus lead me toward her quarters. Once inside, I turned toward her and let my transformation lapse. "I want to see you as my lover, not my superior." She nodded and allowed her own transformation to slip away. My arms slipped around her, and she kissed my cheek.

"What's bothering you, Love?" She moved to the bed, and I stretched out next to her. "And don't say 'nothing,' because we both know I can see right through you." I nodded and took a moment to put my thoughts in order. Maybe I could use the perception of my jealousy to my advantage.

"I need you to hear me out before become angry." Her eyebrows shot up. "Before I start, I am _not_ accusing you of cheating on me." Her eyes narrowed.

"Rei, what you are you talking about?!"

I sighed. "I thought, at first, that I was feeling jealousy, but it feels as though Kunzite monopolizes your time lately." She opened her mouth to argue, but I raised my hand. "I know you'd never hurt me. I trust you." I grinned. "If I didn't, I'd be dead. There's no greater love than saving another from certain death." She was fidgeting more than normal and biting her lip. I put my hand on hers, hoping to comfort her. "Zoicite came to speak to me. He... agrees with me about Kunzite."

"Reiko...?" Her voice was quiet, and her face had lost all color. I ignored the unspoken question. _Does he know?_ I couldn't answer that; I couldn't lie to her. I couldn't betray Zoicite's trust, either. _This is a crime punishable by death_ seemed to ring in my head more loudly than it had when it was spoken.

I tangled our fingers together. "There seems to be dissent among the shittenou. Zoicite asked me to speak to you. He feels as though Kunzite's intentions toward you may be... less than honorable."

"Reiko? Intentions?!"

"Mina, please." She nodded and allowed me to continue, but the play of emotions over her face told me it was difficult to keep herself in check. "Zoicite seems to believe Kunzite's goal with you is the bedroom. And as I'm sure you know, that would present a divided loyalty."

"He's more interested in bedding me than protecting his prince..." The light of understanding began to flicker in her eyes. I nodded, Zoicite's words ringing in my head.

"Zoicite refers to us as kindred spirits," I stated as cagily as I could. "He seems to think that Kunzite will unknowingly create friction between us.

"Reiko, I-" I'd said too much.

"If Kunzite is trying to bed you, he fears jealousy will become an issue. As if I'd be upset about not having a shittenou hit on me." I laughed lightly, hoping I'd recovered.

"And if jealousy is an issue, we won't be a cohesive team."

"And it's obvious the prince is smitten with Serenity." She nodded. "If Serenity is in danger, then Endymion is in danger."

"Right," she started and nodded. "That fool would rush in to save her." I burst out laughing, and Minako raised an eyebrow. "What is so damn funny, Mars?"

"I had to stop myself from calling him a fool in front of Zoicite." She threw a crooked grin my way.

"I can see that. It's pretty obvious he's in love with his master." I felt my jaw fall open. "Don't tell me you're surprised, Reiko." I shook my head.

"I... he told me." I sucked in a deep breath and pulled her to me.

 _Kindred spirits._

 _I choose to trust you._

 _My life is in your hands._

I couldn't lie to her, even by omission. If she already knew, then I wasn't betraying him. "Minako... Zoicite has some sort of sense for love. He... figured us out. _Kindred spirits_ , he says." She paled.

"Reiko." It wasn't a question, but it wasn't a true statement, either. The tremble in her voice was very clear.

"Did you know that loving someone of the same sex is a crime punishable by death on Earth?" She flinched and stared at me for a moment. "Minako, we literally hold his life in our hands. The Lunar Kingdom wouldn't execute us. I'm reluctant to do so, but I think we can trust him. I do _not_ trust Kunzite." She nodded slowly.

"You know I can't stop the meetings, right?"

"I know. You know I'm going to continue to meet with Zoicite to discuss this, right?"

"I know." She kissed me. "You're smart, Reiko. I wouldn't expect anything but a thoroughly-prepared battle plan." She winked at me, and her grin suddenly shifted from united with me to seducing me. "I'm tired of politics and conspiring, Reiko," she practically purred as she pushed me onto my back.

"Make me forget about this week, Minako."


	7. Guidance from History

"Does history guide you, or do you seek to change it?" - The Agonist, "Business Suits and Combat Boots"

Guidance from History: Aino Minako

"Having your life decided by others... it's wrong, Reiko." She'd turned away from me, but the set of her shoulders let me know I had her attention. I closed my eyes and took a step toward her, hoping I could bring back the memories. "Wasn't it you who once told me to stop faking appearances and hiding behind masks?" At my final word, I rested my hand on her shoulder, and then...

* * *

War. War was everywhere. I looked down, and realized my jeans were gone, replaced with a short, orange skirt. Sailor Venus. I'd become Sailor Venus. I looked up, meeting Mars' dark eyes. We'd transformed, and we were in suddenly in a battle.

 _"Venus, Mars, RUN!"_ My communicator had flared to life with a panicked Jupiter on the other end, but she sounded...strange. Mars shoved me aside as a large, black shadow passed through her, knocking her a ways away.

"Reiko!" My own scream sounded foreign to my ears, and I couldn't fathom what was going on. "Hold on, Reiko!" I charged toward the enemy and caught it with my chain, pinning it in place. A bolt of lighting slashed the sky in two, and the enemy disintigrated before me.

"Venus, get her out of here!" I scooped up Rei and began hobbling toward a nearby outcropping of rock, still not sure why we sounded so different from ourselves. We were our gods reincarnated, after all.

Lunarian. We were speaking Lunarian, but for some reason, I could still understand everything.

"Mina, it's a flashback." I skidded to a stop and deposited her in shadows. The blood on her arm didn't escape my notice, either.

A brief flash of fire ripped the air past our shelter, and I felt my breath hitch as long, jet black hair flowed behind it. I was watching Mars, the Mars from this time, as a large youma punched through her defenses and into her stomach. Deep, violet eyes locked with mine, and she nodded, before the enemy was wrenched from her personal space, suddenly.

Venus.

I'd just watched my past self save my past lover.

"Why are they doing this, Reiko?"

Mars refused to move her hand from her stomach, but she responded steadily enough. "Kunzite," she spat. Venus moved toward her. I could feel her, I was almost controlling her. Maybe she was controlling me; I couldn't be sure at this point. I sat stone still next to Rei, but I felt as if everything on that battle field was happing to me.

"We have to retreat!"

"Martians never give up."

"Reiko..."

"Never, Minako. I owe them for this," she said as she gestured toward the large red stain on her stomach.

And again, I couldn't help myself. "I love you, you idiot!"

Rei looked away as Mars cupped Venus' cheek and gave her a crooked grin. "I know."

"Then don't finish this fight."

I heard her whisper along with her past self. "Reality is a traitor; it's easy to misjudge things. We weren't born to live like this..."

* * *

I felt bad for landing on top of her, but it wasn't a conscious choice. I sat up and immediately checked her arm. A small scar had somehow appeared where she'd gotten swiped as the flashback started. "Minako... how did you do that?" I locked eyes with her; they were brown instead of violet. A quick glance around told me we were back at the shrine, in her bedroom. Unfortunately, we'd landed on the floor instead of the bed.

"I... I don't know," I admitted.

"Reality is a traitor," she murmured quietly. I nodded.

"We weren't born to live like this, Reiko." I finished. She nodded back as she stood, and cautiously extended a hand to me.

"Where... when..."

"I don't know," I admitted again.

"I thought you had all your memories." I sighed and settled on her bed; she sat beside me. "I keep hiding from mine," she grumbled quietly. "The women they were have nothing to do with the women we are."

"Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it." She cut her eyes at me, but didn't reply. "I, uh, may have had the last part of that flashback before I came over here," I mumbled with my head down. She stood and moved toward the window.

"I keep having little scraps of a larger puzzle falling into my lap as I sit at the fire." She turned to me; her eyes felt as though they were burning through mine. "Zoicite didn't trust Kunzite." I cocked my head, waiting for her to continue. "He and I, we thought Kunzite had some sort of ulterior motive." She looked away and blushed. "He... He was in love with Endymion."

"Much like this life, I suppose." She nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly. I wanted to go to her, to scoop her into my arms, but I resisted the impulse.

"A lot is like this life," she grumbled, scowling at the floor as her eyes dropped from mine.

"Serenity and Endymion for one, us for two..." I said carefully. She seemed to be thinking. "I wonder if we can do that again, and pinpoint a specific time."

 _"No,"_ she growled, more than said. It was time to push my Martian's buttons.

"Does history guide you, or do you seek to change it?" Her head snapped up; the fire had been lit in her eyes again.

"Get out, Minako-chan."

"No, Reiko. I came over here to talk to you. We're damn well going to talk."

"You're pissing me off!"

"Good! Pissing you off is the only way I can get you to react to me! What happened to Martians never retreat? Aren't you retreating by following these ridiculous orders from a _cat_?" She deflated almost instantly; her eyes turned back to the ground.

It was quiet, but I heard it. "It seems we can't escape hiding it, in this life or the last." I sat in stunned silence for a moment. She turned back toward her window; one of the ravens was watching us intently as it sat on a branch. "What do we do, Mina?"

"I... don't know," I admitted.


	8. A Flash of Silence

"Purification . . . lifts the burden from the shoulders of the individual and washes it away." - Stuart D. B. Picken

A Flash of Silence: Mars Rei

"He said WHAT?!" I could barely contain the rage radiating off me in waves. Zoicite sighed slightly and tried to give me his best disarming smile. He was good at that, but the news he'd just delivered wasn't going to bend to that smile this time.

"You heard me, Mars. He's convinced I'm attempting to engage you in a sexual relationship."

"And that justifies him making a move on Venus _how_?" I ignored the obvious insult to my own integrity.

"I don't pretend to understand men who can bed a woman without loving her." I sighed and he chuckled lightly. "I believe this will work to my advantage, at least. He's been suspicious of me for a while. If he thinks I would like to engage you physically, at least I'm alive long enough to fill you in."

"True..." I sighed and pinched the bridge of my nose. I'd have a roaring headache later. The word he'd used bothered me, _alive_. It was a bitter reminder of how much trust he'd put in me. He really loved Endymion that much.

The thought of playing up this feigned interest in one another crossed my mind, but I wasn't sure I could voice that to Zoicite, let alone go through with it. I couldn't see myself flirting, bantering with another the way Minako and I could, even if it was on a recogniscance mission of sorts. Perhaps if Kunzite trusted Zoicite more, Zoicite could sort out the burning question for me: who, exactly, was Kunzite loyal to? I'd bet everything to the twin hells of the Martian moons it wasn't Endymion.

But then I had another question, too. How much did I really trust Zoicite?

"Perhaps you should inform your leader, Mars. I'll see what else I can uncover." He smiled that smile again before leaving me to my thoughts. Minako would be in a meeting with the Queen for a while yet, so I headed to the one place I could at least attempt to find answers. The fire's dull glow seemed cooler than normal as I reverted from Sailor Mars to Mars Rei and took my usual place.

I could never be sure of time in this place, but I broke into a sweat before long. I kept catching scraps, flashes of images, but I couldn't hold one long enough to get a clear image. Claws, crystals, and swords seemed to speed past me, as if I were stuck in place. I clenched my fists and repositioned my hands, ready to redouble my efforts. Kunzite, Zoicite, either of them, I needed some kind of answers.

The fire seemed to feed off my anger, and I flinched at it began to truly come to life. The scenes were flying by at a rate I'd never seen.

 _Claws, crystals, swords._

 _Sun, moon, stars._

 _Claws, crystals, swords._

 _A flash of red._

I'd missed it. A flash of red and claws left me feeling unsettled, but I had missed whatever it was the fire was trying to show me. Though I wasn't the most patient person, I was typically more calm and level-headed before the fire. As the heat grew in intensity, I could sense the fire feeding off my feelings even more, and I began to doubt I'd get answers in this state.

 _Not claws, fingernails. Fingernails like claws._

 _A flash of red._

 _Sun, moon, stars._

 _A flash of red._

My own fingernails bit into my palms and my eyes snapped open as I sensed another presence in the room. I locked eyes with a young woman with burning, dark eyes. Minako was standing next to her, but the woman that had captured my attention... If her eyes hadn't been so dark, I'd have thought she was myself.

 _A flash of fire. The sound of a piano. Two ravens. The sound of battle. Screaming. A language I couldn't understand. A flash of red and white. A girl in robes not unlike the robes I wore as I carried out my spiritual duties._

Scraps of pieces of flashes of visions.

 _A flash of red, red hair this time. Fingernails like claws._

She took a half step toward the fire as it blazed almost white-hot. She seemed as transfixed as I was, as drawn to it as I was. We broke eye contact as the door to the room opened, and I turned to find Minako walking in. I opened my mouth and turned back to the two women across the room... only to find no one.

 _A flash of red hair. A battle, a girl just like our princess. A girl, just like me. A girl, just like Minako. Our daggers, first Minako's and then mine hitting the sand. Her voice, saying, "I'm sorry, Reiko." Her laugh. Our daggers, hitting the sand._

 _Sailor Mercury, but something is off. Something is wrong. Her short blade, made of ice. The feeling of it tainted. Black spiderwebs crawling over her, her eyes narrowing, a twisted smile._

 _That blade of ice meeting my dagger._

A cold shiver shot through me, and I silently pleaded with the fire to give me something more substantial than these scraps. I couldn't fathom senshi against senshi. The idea of our daggers hitting the sand, the implications it could have...

 _A girl, just like me, standing in a strange place, surrounded by some sort of grave yard. Words on the tomb I couldn't make out. Some sort of strange religious symbols, at least I thought they were. I've never seen a graveyard full of crosses._

I could feel Minako rest her hand on my shoulder, hoping to calm my nightmare as she often did. That girl, I wanted to know who she was. Why the fire had shown me this girl, this girl just like me. Why it had shown her with Minako. "I don't understand," I felt more than heard myself say.

 _A girl, just like me, sitting in front of a fire, dark eyes as empty as my own before my fire._

 _A flash of fire._

 _A flash of silence._

I had no idea what the fire had just shown me. I stood and stared at Minako, and then I blacked out.


	9. Reflections

"Perhaps it is better to be irresponsible and right, than to be responsible and wrong." - Winston Churchill

Reflections: Aino Minako

"The past has nothing to do with the women we are now." I was getting closed out. It had been two days since the flashback to the battle, and she'd been distant, at best.

"Rei..." She shot me a glare. "We can figure this out, together."

"The past is nothing like the present. Just because we couldn't escape hiding it then doesn't mean it's inescapable now." She was contradicting her statement from a few days ago, but I kept my mouth shut as I sat beside her on the bed. Her room was beginning to become stifling during my 2 am visits. The sand-colored walls reflected my feelings of hopelessness, like a pure white tainted with something darker. Like our feelings, tainted with a secret.

"Venus and Mars were smart. You always did learn from the mistakes of others. Maybe we can learn from theirs?"

"Their world was very different from ours."

"Rei." She turned that intense gaze on me completely now. "The fire keeps giving you scraps of that life for a reason. Surely you should place more faith in the fire _kami_?" She paused, presumably mulling over the implications of ignoring her duty.

"Minako... if we do this, this will be the only time. I do not _ever_ want to try to trigger memories of that place again."

"I know, Reiko."

"You know what the Silver Millennium was like."

"It... wasn't pretty, during the end or before that."

"This is it." She rose quietly, took my hand and guided me toward the fire room.

* * *

The fire blazed white hot as Rei broke into a fine sweat. To be honest, I was frightened. I wanted to find a way, _any way_ , that we could be together. I hoped Mars and Venus could show us. But the flashback... it had almost been time travel.

Energy and heat seemed to be radiating off Rei in waves; I was beginning to sweat myself. "Touch my hand, Minako," she mumbled quietly. I laced our fingers together cautiously, expecting something to happen.

We were still in the fire room, but standing. Rei was staring straight ahead when I realized this room was very similar, but different somehow. I glanced around and saw a second Rei, a Rei that I guessed was Mars Rei. Her eyes snapped open and locked onto Hino Rei; burning violet met intense black through the flames.

The fire roared hotter, and I had to take a step back, but Rei tightened her grip on my hand; her eyes never wavered. I heard the faint music of a piano, but otherwise, nothing seemed to happen for a long moment. Finally, Rei moved a step closer to the fire that seemed to consume logs that never quite burned. I almost missed it, but I thought I saw a flash of red hair in the fire. I could never be sure.

The sound of a door opening broke both Mars' and Rei's concentration, and I was only able to catch a brief glimpse of Venus Minako.

* * *

I drew a trembling Rei into my waiting arms; the vision had been clearer than day for me. Usually, I could only get vague feelings or emotions, but somehow, she'd brought me into the vision with her, not once, but twice in less than a week. The feeling of weakness deeply troubled Rei, and to see herself struggling with the fire in the past life didn't help any. Dragging me along for the ride had to be exhausting, physically and emotionally.

I'd pushed too much, and she'd be shutting me out as soon as she collected herself. I ran my fingers through her hair and whispered reassuring nothings as the shaking slowly subsided. Eventually, she shifted and sat down on her bed, but she still hadn't spoken. How we'd returned to her bedroom from the fire room, I had no idea, just as I had no idea how we'd moved from the shrine steps to this room before. I wondered if this room held some significance to our problem, but I pushed the thought to the back of my mind for now.

"I think I should go home now," I started. Her eyes turned to me and finally focused. "Call me-"

"Stay." I was shocked. It was abrupt and unexpected, but not unwelcome. "Stay with me tonight, Mina." I nodded and sat next to her. "That took a lot out of me," she said with a blush. She fidgeted for a moment, and then as an apparent afterthought, tacked on, "I'd imagine it took a lot out of you, too." She was definitely my Rei again, always trying to cover her tracks when things got too emotional between us.

"It did," I admitted after a long silence.

"A fire reading within a vision... I never knew such a thing was possible."

"What do you mean?" She shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts.

"I could read the fire she was reading." I opted to _not_ point out that the woman reading the fire and Hino Rei were one in the same, even with the timeline difference.

"What did you see?" She closed her eyes and exhaled loudly.

"That's just it... it was all... jumbled up." She seemed to be choosing her words carefully. "They weren't visions or readings..." I could sense her next words, even as I remembered Mars Rei describing this to me millennia ago. "They were so incomplete. Not visions. More like..." She turned to look me in the eyes. "Scraps of pieces of flashes of visions. They were so fragmented that nothing made sense." My memory of that day was incomplete, but I could recall Mars foreshadowing the end to Venus.

I nodded as if I understood. To an extent, I did. Rei and I had been through this before, but it was so long ago, so many lifetimes ago.

"Beryl was the focus, I think... but I could see myself. She was having a vision of me." I felt my brows knit together.

"Eh?" Mars Rei hadn't described that, at least, not that I could remember...

"Phobos and Deimos. Then there was a battle, one I think we've already fought. I'm not sure." I cocked my head at her. "And then I was preparing for a festival at the shrine."

I slowly took her hand and gave it a light squeeze. "I didn't see anything in the fire I think, but I also didn't see anything other than your past life doing a fire reading..." She shook her head, as if to clear it, more so than to deny my statement, but her response was sharp and expected.

"Everything I saw related to this life. I am not the same woman she was." I sighed. I didn't really want to argue the point, but if we were going to find a way out of this mess, I needed to.

"Rei. Your visions are trying to show you something about the past life. We are forbidden to see each other because of something that happened in that past life. Don't you think we should try to figure out just what that something is?" She gave a discontented growl and glared at me.

"The past has nothing to do with who we are today!"

"The past affects us now because we can't freely love one another!" She opened her mouth to reply, but closed it with such anger I could almost hear her teeth click. "Reiko, stop holding on to your hatred of the past life and see that there is _something_ from back then that the fire wants us to figure out."

We both drifted for a while in our own thoughts before she tentatively broke the silence. "I think you're right about us, Minako."

"Eh?" She stared at me for a moment, as if I should understand.

"Having our lives decided by others... it's wrong." I blinked, in shock for the second time in just a few minutes. She turned from me. "I never wanted it to end anyway," she whispered, just before I kissed her.


	10. Am I?

**Author's notes:** If you have been following along as this is written, I've polished and slightly revised each posted chapter of this story. In response to a review, I hope I've made points of view clearer to follow. That said, rereading the story is not necessary to continue along, as no plot changes have occurred. In fact, some loopholes will be closed in the next handful of chapters.

* * *

You and I have floated here on the stream that brings from the fount.  
At the heart of time, love of one for another.  
We have played along side millions of lovers,  
Shared in the same shy sweetness of meeting,  
the distressful tears of farewell,  
Old love but in shapes that renew and renew forever.

Rabindranath Tangore

Am I?: Mars Rei

 _Does history guide you, or do you seek to change it?_

I sat up, gasping for breath. I had no idea where I was, but I did know three things. First, I couldn't get enough air in my lungs. Secondly, someone was saying my name. Third, my wrists were restrained by someone; I hadn't realized I'd been tearing at them.

" _Rei!_ Calm down!" My eyes finally lit upon the person in front of me. Minako. The mere sight of her began to assuage my panic. She slowly moved her hands from my wrists to wrap around my head, and I couldn't help myself. A sob tore itself from my throat, and I threw myself into the embrace, relieved to feel safe again. "It was just a nightmare, Reiko." The words didn't really register as she said them, but as tears subsided, I was able to shake my head, despite my roaring headache.

"No, Mina. They weren't nightmares."

"You blacked out in the fire room, Love."

"No," I growled, more than said. "The vision. The girl! You didn't see her?" Minako sighed. "There were two girls in the room with me, and they _looked exactly like us!_ " She arched an eyebrow and rested her hand over mine.

"The vision showed you us?"

"Yes! I mean, no... I mean..." I trailed off and rubbed my temple. "I don't know, Minako. They looked like us, at least in civilian form. But my eyes were the wrong color." She drew her brows together, but didn't respond. "I think I could see part of their lives, but it wasn't anything that I could piece together. It was so fragmented. Not even piece of visions, just scraps."

"Could you explain more?"

"No. Not even scraps, really... more like scraps of pieces of flashes of visions. They were so fragmented that nothing made sense." I felt like those words carried more weight than they should. Minako sighed. I closed my eyes in response.

"Can you describe what you saw?"

"I saw a girl who looked just like me, living random events in life. She's some kind of priestess, maybe in training. She and the other girl, the other you... they're in love." A small smile tugged at the corner of Minako's mouth, but didn't progress beyond that. "She... she's Sailor Mars, Minako. I don't know what to make of it... it was so much more _precise_ than my normal visions."

"So you saw yourself." I nodded slowly. "And the other girl was me." It was a statement, more than a question. I nodded again. "And these precise visions are fragmented." I sighed and merely looked at her in response. "Keep going, Reiko."

"I saw a woman with red hair and fingernails like claws. I don't know who she is, but she's going to be very powerful and play a large role in what's to come." Minako raised an eyebrow, but I chose to forge ahead instead. "And Mercury... something was off about her. I saw a battle. Senshi against senshi." She gasped.

"Mercury turned on us?"

"I think so. I..." I couldn't look at her as I spoke the next words. "Minako, I think we lost." I shuddered at the idea of our daggers hitting sand. I still couldn't wrap my head around a senshi civil war, or the mere idea of defeat. I supposed that was the Martian in me. Minako's fingers laced themselves with mine. "That girl, that Mars. Someone dear to her died." She flinched; I tightened my grip on her hand. "I won't let that happen, Mina." She nodded slowly, but her eyes were distant.

"Did you see anything else?" The pain in my temples intensified for a moment before dissipating completely.

"Mars reads fire the way I do. Minako." I made sure we locked eyes and put every bit of emotion I could into my voice. I wanted to make sure she understood the weight of my words. "Minako, that girl is trying to contact us." Minako's jaw set. I could almost see the gears turning in her head, but she said nothing. I an uncharacteristic urge to fill the silence with emotions, perceptions of emotions, but I fought it back.

"Why?"

"I don't know. I only know what I could read in her aura." She turned an accusatory glare at me, as if I should've revealed that feeling earlier. She was usually good at reminding me to go with my gut instinct. "I sensed confusion. I feel like maybe she's been out of character or contradictory for a while. She faces some sort of challenge, but doesn't know how to respond to it. It's almost like... maybe she's following orders, but trying to find a way to disobey them at the same time." I blinked. That was oddly specific.

Minako raised an eyebrow. "You got all that from her _aura_? I'm no priestess, Rei, but that seems a little... odd." I shook my head.

"I don't think so. If she's Sailor Mars, it makes sense that I could read her so well, so quickly." She cocked her head at that.

"You are the Avatar of Ares. You are Sailor Mars." I nodded. "Then how is there another Sailor Mars?"

"I don't know," I admitted.

"Okay. So there is another group of Senshi in some alternate universe fighting a red-headed woman with claws. Why haven't they contacted us?"

"I think that's what they're trying to do."

"This whole thing sounds insane, Rei." I balked, hurt. Her teeth worried her bottom lip, when I recalled some words I'd heard whispered in my dream.

 _Does history guide you, or do you seek to change it?_

"What?" I looked at Minako; I hadn't realized I'd repeated the question aloud. "Does history guide us?"

"I was dreaming, while I was blacked out." She nodded.

"You were a hard one to hold still. Ami-chan had a rough time checking your vitals."

"That's the only thing I remember, Mina." Her brows knit together. "You asked me that, actually. At least, it was your voice. Maybe the other Minako's voice." Dark brown eyes locked onto me. I could see a knowledge click in Minako's gaze, as if that question triggered something in her.

"Reiko... I have a question. This is not the first life we've lived."

"I know." I wasn't sure where she was going with this. I could remember my past lives, and she knew that. "She is not a past life." Minako bobbed her head in response.

"We have used the knowledge from past lives to fulfill our duties in this life." I nodded. She paused and ran her fingers over mine hesitantly, as if she were afraid to voice her thought.

"Reiko... Do you think _you_ are a past life for this girl?"


	11. Interlude I

**WARNING: If you are victim of violence, particularly violence of a sexual nature, and/or coarse, offensive language will bother you, you are advised to skip this chapter. Please pick up with Chapter 13, _Destiny Shifted._ The events occurring here and in the next chapter will be heavily implied throughout the Silver Millennium portion of the story.** That stated, the rating of this piece will not be changed, as nothing is made explicit.

* * *

"We are worshiping the gods that keep twisting our thoughts." - Xandria, "Nightfall"

A Brief Interlude: Kunzite

I am a man who gets what he wants. I am a master tactician, a skilled intelligence operative, and a ruthless opponent on the battlefield. I know how to dominate my enemies and subordinates. I always claim the spoils of war that are rightfully mine, and I take what I want, when I want it. Such is the way of a man who is deserving of the power he possesses.

I wanted Sailor Venus, and Zoicite had, once again, expressed his distaste for my ability to bed a woman without love. Honestly, the little faggot was pissing me off. It's not like he could ever have Endymion, and he was a fool to allow himself to feel love. Endymion was a fool to trust such a weak man. Zoicite needed a painful reminder of where he stood in the scheme of things. Did he really think I was so blind? Did he really think he could fool me? I knew to whom he was loyal, despite his pledge to the one I served.

I know how to put someone in their place.

It's not about sex, really, when I bring someone back into line. The common, uneducated man may believe that, but it isn't true. It's purely about power. I am the alpha male of this pack, and Zoicite would never forget that critical detail again. His loyalty to Endymion was turning him into a liability. A cost-benefit analysis would show his status as a liability outweighing his ability to gather information, particularly from the psychic bitch. If he refused to turn over the information, he was a traitor in my eyes. Treason was to be dealt with sharply.

Still, cutting off the diseased limb would not please Queen Beryl unless she ordered it directly.

He'd informed us Mars was their primary long-range fighter, Jupiter was the strongest, especially in hand-to-hand combat and Mercury was in a support role. I had easily figured that out myself. I wanted information of a more personal nature, things to use against or in the manipulation of the senshi themselves. I wanted information specifically on a certain Venusian.

When he came to report to me, he didn't have much to say. This had become a recurring theme lately; he was full of excuses. "Mars has been busy." Sometimes, I'd hear, "Mars' meditation prevented our meeting." Other time, "Mars' presence was requested by Venus. My time with her was interrupted." The only instance I could really give him leeway on was the day Mars blacked out and landed in the infirmary.

Still, mercy is for the weak. Zoicite may be weak, but I am not. I'd gift him no mercy, when I passed judgment for his disloyalty. After all, I had the power to play judge, jury and executioner. The time for that trial was now.

"You have spent half your day, every day, with the psychic bitch and you have yet to glean any real information, Zoicite. I'm beginning to question your loyalty to Queen Beryl." I caught a brief flash of fear in his eyes, but he quickly schooled his features into the picture of a calm soldier. At least the little bitch was a good actor.

He had never been loyal to Beryl, and we both knew that. He simply professed loyalty to stay close to Endymion. I moved to the window and motioned for him to join me. "Look. She's practicing with that damn bow of hers now. Are you telling me she wouldn't be receptive to your company now? It seems to me she'd be... receptive... to your advances. She seems to enjoy speaking to you in hushed tones. And I'll be damned if she doesn't close that damn mouth of her when Venus and I approach." He merely glared at me in response; it seemed she'd rubbed off on him a bit as well. "You're failing, Zoicite." I took a step back and studied him as he continued to watch her pummel the target with her peasant's weapon. I saw his shoulders shift, and when he turned, he was met with the tip of my sword at his throat.

"You do understand that failure is rewarded by punishment, don't you?" His hand began to creep toward the hilt of his own weapon. He really had _no_ idea just how powerless he was.

I slapped his hand away with the flat of my blade. "Make another foolish move like that, and you'll regret your failures even more than you are about to." With that, the same flat side to my sword met the side of his head, my fist tangled in his hair, and I forced him to his knees. My blade still at his throat, I drew his weapon from its sheath with my other hand and tossed it aside. He watched as it clattered against the hardwood floor of the room; I realized he was pointedly trying to avoid eye contact with me. I tightened the hold I had on his hair and smirked.

He knew his disloyalty was about to cost him dearly.

* * *

I watched Zoicite flinch as he sat down during the morning meal we'd begun to take with the senshi; he seemed to be in pain from the mere contact with the chair.

Good.

The Martian bitch shot him a questioning look, and he simply shook his head. Despite my complete and utter distaste for her, she was certainly... appealing. While not as interesting as her commander, I could understand why she turned the number of heads she did. She was clearly interested in Zoicite, but his blind love prevented him from being the man—the soldier—I'd tried to shape him into. Even when I'd not-so-subtly shoved him in her direction, he'd faltered. If he'd been a real man, he'd have taken her by now. He'd share her bed any time he damn well pleased.

After our encounter the previous night, he was lucky to be alive. Had I been able to present his failure to Queen Beryl, he would've been mysteriously killed in action, by her command. I felt a smile play at the corners of my mouth. I am a man who can be honest with himself. I was looking forward to his capital punishment.


	12. Interlude II

**WARNING: This chapter continues the themes presented in the previous chapter, "A Brief Interlude: Kunzite." If you are not comfortable with that chapter, please skip ahead to chapter 13, _Destiny Shifted_.**

* * *

"You can take my life, but my vision lives on eternally." - Xandria, "Sacrificium"

A Brief Interlude, II: Zoicite

I am a man who has always been passionate about his ideals: love, purity and trust. Because my master has always stood by these ideals, I've been faithful to him since the day I turned my sword to his service. When my fellow generals approached me about Beryl, I pledge my loyalty to her under false pretenses. I merely wanted to stay close to Master Endymion, if only to protect him.

My undying love for him is also a motivating factor.

After my... encounter... with Kunzite, I had a hard time performing my duties. I spent most of that night in the washroom adjoined to my personal chambers, in an attempt to wash away the stains of violence and hatred. With my mindset concerning sex and love, I'd never shared my body with another. Despite numerous opportunities for pleasure, my heart was spoken for. I had lived my life in celibacy, and it was a burden I was glad to bear. The man I loved would never love me, but I derived joy in seeing that his needs were fulfilled. If those needs included the love of another, why should his happiness detract from mine? Such were the thoughts of one who desired to remain pure. To have that purity ripped away from me was devastating.

I'd always known violence was a very real possibility between Kunzite and myself, but I had never grasped just how twisted his mindset really was.

With my love unrequited and my purity stolen, I needed someone to trust. I'd placed an enormous amount of faith in Sailor Mars, and while I didn't want to jeopardize the beginnings of whatever friendship we'd formed, I felt as though she was the best person to turn to. I understood that Mars had seen her share of violence throughout her life, and I knew she was tired of watching others experience pain. I also knew that Mars held a very deep, if hidden, streak of kindness. Her unwavering convictions kept her temperament even and appropriate in most situations, despite the natural fire in her eyes. The extent of her patience startled me at times.

The next morning had been set aside for recreation, with diplomatic negotiations designated to begin after lunch. Sailor Mars spent most of breakfast scrutinizing me, and the intensity of that violet gaze unnerved me. After experiencing Kunzite's wrath, though, I felt as though I might lose my grip on reality at any given moment.

Our groups began to break away from breakfast slowly, with Sailor Jupiter offering to take Nephrite through the gardens, and Jadeite requesting a tour of the laboratories from Sailor Mercury. The tension between Kunzite and myself overwhelmed me easily, and I began to look for an escape plan. I felt his dark eyes bore into me as Mars and Venus exchanged a look, but said nothing. Mars arched a brow at me, and I had to shake my head to clear it. "Sailor Mars, I understand you've been looking for a sparring partner to gain experience with your new dagger." Grinding out the words took a toll on me. I had no desire to see another blade in my life, excepting the one strapped to my hip. The sound of my sword clattering against his floor still resounded in my head like thunder.

Despite my insecurity, I still felt as though Sailor Mars could be trusted.

The only question remaining was, _could she trust me?_

* * *

Mars studied me for a long moment, shock evident on her face. I had no basis upon which I could expect a reaction from her, and I felt as though I was walking blindly into uncharted wilderness. I tried to fight down the heat spreading across my cheeks, but I knew the struggle was in vain. After what felt like an eternity, I finally found the energy to turn away from her. I didn't even have the strength to break eye contact anymore upon first impulse.

Her features shifted into a sneer, and she growled. "That sick bastard." I had expected to be called a liar, some sort of villain. I had not anticipated the simple truth to be taken at face value. She moved toward me, and I felt myself flinch and turn away. From the reflection in her window, I saw the rage on her features dissolve instantly, and she cocked her head. "Zoicite. Please look at me." A long moment passed while I gathered my composure and took a deep breath. When I turned, her face was soft, but her eyes still held a deep hatred for my commander. I could trust this woman, who was not quite an ally, but I could not trust the man who had been tasked with leading me in such a way as to prevent my death or the death of my master.

Such was a twisted world we lived in.

"If the bastard wants information, I say we feed him information. Sailor Venus should be able to manipulate him in such a way that she will never be in any real danger." She extended her hand toward me carefully. "Venusians, you know, have a gift with empathy, much like us Martians have a gift with fire. Each race in the solar system has a gift handed down from the gods. Most of our gifts favor war, but Venus' race is one of emotion. All is fair in love and war, I suppose." I carefully took her hand. She was giving me something to feed to Kunzite, to help me save myself his rage again. "Martians... we are a race of war. The planet has seen so much bloodshed that the ground is stained red permanently."

"The red planet," I said simply. She raised an eyebrow at me. "From Earth, the planet appears red through our telescopes. We call it the red planet." She chuckled.

"Perhaps the bloody planet would be more accurate." I smiled despite myself.

"We refer to Venus as the Morning Star, or sometimes, the Evening Star. I feel as though either would be appropriate for your lover." She smiled wryly.

"Tell the bastard Venus has the ability to manipulate emotions. Just because the gifts are from the gods... Well, we have free will. Sometimes, someone will use a gift for personal gain." She smirked. "And he wants her badly. Let him know that some Venusians use that gift to assist themselves in securing sexual partners. She should meet with me while you're filling him in, and I'll tip her off to this conversation then." She laced our fingers together, but a frown crossed her features. "If he's figured out your feelings toward Endymion..." She took a deep breath and locked eyes with me. "Perhaps... it would be better if we created a distraction. Interest in a sexual relationship is certainly easy to portray." She squeezed my hand lightly; I'd forgotten our fingers will still linked. "You're clearly an excellent actor, Zoicite. Perhaps we can use that as a battle tactic."

"Trusting, but capable of deception." I laughed lightly, feeling comforted by the mere presence of her hand within mine. "We truly are kindred spirits, Mars." She tugged my hand gently and led me into the hallway.

"I'd like to show you something." The soft click of her heels fell into step, and I followed a half step behind her; our hands remained joined. I felt as if she may be daring Kunzite to see us.

After a couple of minutes, she led me into a large entertaining area. Comfortable seating was situated around a fire place, and in the corner, an old piano stood. "I've heard you play once," she offered quietly. "I'd like to hear it again." She released my hand and motioned toward the bench. I sat slowly and ran my fingertips lovingly over the keys.

Sailor Mars had her fire, but I had my music.

She smirked. "You know, so long as our comrades aren't around, you can use my given name." I shook my head.

"We've been left in the dark as to your given names."

"My name is Rei," she whispered beside me, her breath sweet on my face, as I began to play.


	13. Destiny Shifted

"Every move you make creates your destiny." - Kamelot, "When the Lights Are Down"

Destiny Shifted: Aino Minako

I allowed my fingertips to sift through soft strands as Rei slept peacefully beside me. The look on her face led me to believe this was the first restful sleep she'd gotten since this whole debacle began. She twitched slightly, but didn't wake. I smiled slightly. If I could stop thinking, the morning after would be perfect for me as well.

Since this mess started, I felt like my memories were growing fuzzier with each passing day. Instances I could remember clearly had shifting details. "Scraps of pieces of flashes of visions," she'd said in both incarnations. I wondered if seeking specific fragments had the side effect of overshadowing other memories.

I adjusted the blanket over us and continued to follow that thread, hoping I could work out some sort of answer. The sensation of her bare skin against mine for the first time in what felt like forever was surprisingly grounding. I felt like the gears in my head could shift freely once again. Funny how Rei had done that in every lifetime I could recall, and probably quite a few others that I couldn't.

I turned my thoughts back to the fading and resurfacing of our memories, and I wondered if Ami and Makoto were experiencing the same. I felt as though some memories were different than they had been before fading into obscurity. I remembered the day Mars told Venus of the first visions of Beryl, but Rei had implied that Mars saw _us_. After Rei had dropped off to sleep the night before, I'd searched Venus' memories for hours, but could find _nothing_ to indicated that Mars was ever aware that future incarnations were prying into her life.

I'd woken in a cold sweat this morning, with the words, "do you think _you_ are a past life for this girl?" ringing in my head. I had scraps of the dream to hold onto, but nothing concrete. Just a few days ago, I had no recollection of Mars losing consciousness during a fire reading, but I woke up with a memory of the intensity of the worry Venus had felt when Mars had hit the floor next to the fire. My question—Venus' question—to Mars. I recalled something about contact, but who was contacting whom anymore?

Rei shifted and hugged me tighter as she mumbled something to my chest. I kissed her hair softly. "Play that song again." I blinked, unsure of what to respond. Rei didn't move for a few minutes, and my thoughts turned to the flashbacks. Rei had come back from the first one with a scar she'd not had previously. Immediately in the wake of the second one, a new memory had surfaced, or an old one had changed.

Rei growled and shifted again, but she was definitely still sleeping. "The fire is changing." I let my fingertips trail along her spine and listened carefully, wondering if she was seeing a new memory too. Would she remember it when she woke up? Could I say something to jog her memory?

Could her sixth sense gift us some knowledge of just _what the hell was going on_?

Rei had mentioned Zoicite, scraps of that situation falling into her lap, so I turned to my own memories of that time period. Zoicite was in love with Endymion. That much was clear. Everything kind of went to hell from there. He'd never trusted Kunzite, but he'd never explicitly mentioned Beryl, not back then. The mistrust and fear between the pair caused that memory to shine through.

Unfortunately, I remembered the final battle. Zoicite had fallen to a friendly sword, or what should've been a friendly sword. "Capital punishment," Kunzite had called it, "for your ultimate betrayal." Kunzite had then attacked Mars with everything he had, mortally wounding her as she completely disabled him. "Death by duel," he'd said. His injuries left him capable of surviving... or they would have, if Venus hadn't slit his throat as an immediate response to her grief. That memory was beginning to grow dim in places.

Mars and Zoicite had formed a close bond; at times, even Luna and Artemis had suspected the pair of being lovers. When confronted about the level of trust she had placed in him, Mars had quietly stated the relationship was nothing more than platonic. Of course, the cats had pressed, and Venus had come to her aid by informing the pair that Ares and Aphrodite had destined the two senshi to be together. That memory remained unchanged.

As I fished for other, dimmer memories, Rei stirred lightly and locked eyes with me. I smiled. "Sleep well, Love?" She smiled back, but it didn't reach her eyes.

"As well as I have been." I let my fingertips trace the slope of her jaw. "I had a dream, but I can't remember much." I cocked my head.

"Music and fire," I supplied. Her brows drew together, but she stared at the ceiling in silence. "The fire changed," I added quietly. She sat up and stared at me for a long moment; the intensity in her gaze was enough to keep us both on target.

"How do you know that?"

"You were talking in your sleep." She looked toward the door, seemingly torn. "Reiko, do you remember anything else?" She shook her head as she stood, but she kept stealing glances at the door. "Rei." It wasn't a question, and she knew it. She stood, rooted to the spot where she'd picked up the first article of clothing I'd ripped off in haste the night before. "I need to know what you're thinking... not only as your leader, but also as your lover." She straightened and squared her shoulders; the action seemed almost ridiculous with her small frame.

"I don't want to think about it."

"Yet you're dreaming about it, apparently." She growled and turned to me, dropping her shirt as she stalked a few steps my way. Her body language told me to stop talking, but her eyes said she wanted to bolt. We were in her bedroom-where did she have to run to?

"Sometimes, a dream is only a dream." The fire room. Her instinct was to go to the fire room, but her mind was trying to quell the thought. "I refuse to ever return to that place again, Minako."


	14. Emotion and Magic

"The reality of heat is harder to take than the idea of it." - _Alice Isn't Dead_ , Part 1, Chapter 5: "Signs & Wonders"

Emotion and Magic: Mars Rei

I sat on the bench next to Zoicite as he began to play; my lips were still a mere breath away from his cheek. He still seemed timid, but emboldened by the power of knowing my name. I rested my head on his shoulder and closed my eyes, my focus on his music.

I felt the fire shift and change behind me with every note, every cord his fingers flitted across. As the song wound down, the fire began to dim, to cool. "Play that song again," I asked quietly. He cracked his knuckles and did as I asked, resting his head gently on top of mine. The apprehension he felt, probably to allowing his emotions to pour completely into the music, seemed to melt away at the sound of my voice. The moment felt intensely intimate in a way that I'd only ever felt with Minako, but the intimacy was different. Platonic was the obvious word, but it was more like two souls united through common experience, common violence inflicted upon us, to form an intense friendship. With Minako, I had destiny, fate, love, and the shared realization that we were going to die on the battlefield, together. "The fire is changing," I whispered as he continued to play. I felt him nod slightly, but he didn't raise his head from mine. A thought struck me in that moment, nearly breaking my heart at the same time.

Trust. He was showing me more trust than he ever had to this point. The warmth of my skin on his, the pressure of my head on his shoulder, the sensation of touch was really just a simple thing, but for someone who'd been on the receiving end of the ultimate act of domination and humiliation as recently as he had, for Zoicite to allow me to touch him at all showed an immense amount of trust. I hadn't been able to stand the thought of touch, platonic or sexual, for years when it had happened to me back on Mars.

I fought to suppress the tear struggling to be shed as we sat there, eyes closed, in front of the fire. The music washing over us disconnected my mind from my body; I felt as if I were floating in a plane I'd experienced but once before. Still, I couldn't bring myself to open my eyes.

The music began to grow dimmer; the fire didn't seem so hot on my back. I felt like I was fighting the urge to fall asleep, but my mind was fully alert. The feeling of the bench beneath us wasn't so hard as it had been a few moments prior, and in fact, the only thing I could feel, with any certainty, was the solid weight of Zoicite sitting next to me. After a struggle, I was finally able to open my eyes. I nearly lost control of my transformation as Sailor Mars.

The large entertaining area was gone, replaced with someone's personal quarters. We were sitting on the ground, near a wall, but the first thing I noticed, beyond the decorations, which were so distinctly different from Martian, Lunarian or Venusian decor, beyond the stiflingly-small size of the room, beyond even Zoicite next to me, was a naked woman-one who looked exactly like me. The girl from the previous visions.

Zoicite finally managed to open his eyes; his surprised squeak and quick aversion of his eyes caused the other girl to wheel around and another woman—the one who looked like Minako—to sit up from a reclined position on the bed.

Within an instant, I found Sailor Venus and Sailor Mars before me, daggers in hand, ready to fight. It shouldn't have surprised me, but it did. Venus motioned for Mars to standby. "Who are you, and why are you here?" I sighed.

"It should be obvious I am Sailor Mars." Mars growled at me, but Venus shot her a glare that silenced her.

"And why is he here?"

"Zoicite is my-" I hesitated. "Zoicite is my ally." His wide eyes radiated fear, particularly at Mars' dagger hovering dangerously close to his face. "Please, let us sit down to talk. We have no idea how or why we're here." I let my transformation lapse; Zoicite cut his eyes toward me. He'd never seen my civilian form.

"Zoicite may be your ally, but he is not _our_ ally," Mars cut back at me. I narrowed my eyes.

"If you understood what this man has gone through in the last two days, you would drop your weapon and call him 'friend.'" Mars hissed in response, but Venus lowered her dagger from my face to my chest. I doubted she realized her gesture was still threatening.

"You are the Sailor Mars and Zoicite of the Silver Millennium." It wasn't a question, and in any lifetime, she'd never been one to ask many questions.

"The Silver Millennium is what we refer to our current era, yes." Minako's words tickled at the back of my mind. _Do you think_ you _are a past life for this girl?_ Venus' eyes locked with mine. "I suspect this is not the Silver Millennium. In fact, I suspect this isn't even the Lunar Kingdom." Mars' low growl began to grind at the back of her throat; it was a trait I recognized in myself. My temper seemed to be a bit more even than this young woman's, but I strongly suspected my current form was much older than the body she inhabited.

"No, you aren't." Venus caught my attention again. "Sailor Mars, I think your ability to see the future has overshot its bounds."

I am the past life, I realized.

"Time travel," Zoicite mused next to me. The three of us turned our gazes to him. He shuddered, and I extended a steadying hand to him. Mars' sneer didn't escape my notice. "Meditation comes in many forms. Sailor Mars has her fire, at least in my lifetime, and I have my music. I suspect the Zoicite of your time uses his music as well." Venus and Mars glanced at each other. "Fire and music can weave together to seamlessly to create a new frame of mind. Raw emotion, or something of it, is enough to create the spark for magic. I don't know how Martian fire works, but Earth's music can feed off emotion. Our magicians tell tales of unfathomable power, things like resurrecting the dead and even time travel."

"So you're telling us your music brought you here because of emotions," Mars ground out through clenched teeth. Zoicite smiled that god damn disarming smile of his that I used to hate so deeply. "And where the hell is Venus?"

"Saving my ass," Zoicite replied simply with a shrug.

"Saving our asses," I cut across.

"And why should we believe any of this or trust either of you?" Venus' grip on her dagger tightened reflexively; her other hand drifted toward her chain. "Between Mercury's possession, my death and the sheer chaos that followed even after Beryl was defeated-"

"You know about Beryl?" Zoicte's head snapped toward her immediately. "And you've defeated her?" I was completely lost.

"We defeated Beryl years ago," Mars snarled.

"What the hell is Beryl?" The other three turned back to me; Zoicite blushed.

"That was the other piece of information I came to see you about." He shivered again. "The nasty business with Kunzite got in the way." Mars and Venus took their turn at confusion. Venus sighed.

"Perhaps we should all sit down and talk." I narrowed my eyes, annoyed at hearing my earlier request repeated through her. I smirked.

"I don't want to talk to Sailor Mars and Sailor Venus. You're talking to Zoicite and Mars Rei."

"Absolutely not." There was no way I was disarming myself in the presence of two people who seemed ready to gut me at the slightest provocation without at least a mutual disarmament.

Given their state of undress and Mars' aura upon our arrival, I had a good suspicion what we'd interrupted. The knowledge that Minako and I would always have some minor argument the morning after making love-even if as simple as what to eat for breakfast-would've made me chuckle if I didn't still have a dagger relatively close to my face. Their natural defensiveness could be easily understood, but it was grating.

I needed to these two to know that I had insight into them, but I didn't want them to feel threatened. I wanted them to be uncomfortable. I stole a glance at Zoicite; the strength he'd shown by knowing my name gave me an idea.

Use of a given name has always been alarming on the battlefield, and these two probably didn't realize—even though they probably knew—that I would know their names.

"You are in the presence of Zoicite, who is currently injured and willing to put aside his sword, and an unarmed Mars Rei." My voice reminded me of the crunch of gravel as feet crushed the ice forming on it during the winters of my childhood. I could feel the years of paradoxical, calm Martian violence rising in my voice as I spoke. "You _will_ present yourselves as unarmed, and we _will_ be speaking to Minako and Rei."


	15. Diplomacy Within

"Everyday, she's blinded by her pain, and she thinks the solution is to become just like the air." - Nemesea, "Like the Air"

Diplomacy Within: Aino Minako

The intensity of Hino Rei's eyes could only be matched by Mars Rei. The deep lavender was nearly unsettling to see in person, versus my memories, but the fire in her eyes was all the same. Mars seemed to be much older than Rei; I wondered if I was looking at not only my lover's past life, but her future as well. "I'd like to start with one matter: names." Mars arched a brow at me. "We have two women in this room named Rei. And quite honestly, I'd rather refer to my lover as Rei than her past life." Mars nodded at this.

"I can see how that would be an issue, and I can grant you that. Zoicite has only ever referred to me as Mars or Sailor Mars." Rei shifted uncomfortably next to me. I glanced from her to Mars, and then again to Zoicite, who seemed to be wholly uncomfortable about his sword resting against the wall out of his immediate grasp.

"Next," I began, "I'd like to know how we can understand one another." Mars smirked, but it was not her that supplied the answer.

"The memory of the Lunar language lives within us, Minako," Rei said carefully. Her eyes narrowed at me. "Observant leader," she mumbled to herself. Mars laughed.

"You may be speaking your mother tongue, but I am hearing Lunarian come from your mouth." Rei and Mars locked eyes for a long moment before each gave the other an imperceptible nod.

"I concede," I grumbled as I tried to listen to myself speak, really listen. I wanted to hear this long-dead language, especially because Rei seemed to be able to. "My next question is what _exactly_ lead to the time travel, if it really is that?"

"Emotion," Zoicite repeated unhelpfully. I stared at him for a long moment, and he seemed to wilt under my stare. Mars rested a hand on his shoulder. "An... intense moment passed between us." Rei stiffened more than I thought she was capable of. "An open, honest moment of complete trust, coupled with my music and Mars' fire..." He trailed off for a moment and looked at Mars. "I can only imagine that her emotion and my own managed to weave a web of power strong enough to catapult us forward." The idea of Mars Rei and Zoicite having an affair came to my mind again, though it felt a little more threatening this time.

"And how will you be getting home?" My voice sounded cold, even to my own ears.

"I doubt that web is strong enough to keep us here forever, Minako." Mars' eyes continued to bore into me. "Let us take advantage of it while it lasts. I tire of this interrogation." I sighed and rubbed my temples lightly. Rei cut her eyes toward me; I smiled slightly in response. It wasn't that kind of headache.

"Then what do you want?"

"Why are you trying to contact us?" I was thrown for a loop.

"What the hell are you talking about?" I placed a hand on Rei's; her temper need not impede whatever we could learn. Her distaste for the entire situation was already written over her face.

"You have haunted my visions lately, and I want to know why." Mars wasn't giving any leeway.

"Trying to figure out what happened in your life is not the same as trying to contact you."

"And why are you trying to figure out what's going on? We lived, we presumably died." Zoicite's interference was confusing at best, but he seemed nervous. Mars shook her head slightly at him.

"I don't think this has anything to do with what has happened."

"Can we all just be upfront and stop tiptoeing around the subject?" All eyes cut to me. "Artemis and Luna informed Reiko and I that our relationship was forbidden by the Queen because of an incident in the Silver Millennium, an incident that destroyed the kingdom. I-"

"WHAT?" Rei growled at Zoicite's interruption, but Mars was faster. I suspected it was better that way. Rei would probably have choked the life out of him, where Mars merely gave his shoulder a light squeeze.

"It's true, Zoicite. That matter you initially approached me about? The fire has revealed that to be true, to an extent." Rei growled again, this time in exasperation.

"Upfront, please," I repeated.

"Zoicite does not trust Kunzite, and has... substantial reason to believe that Kunzite may be trying to interfere with my relationship with Venus. He came to me about this to protect Serenity and Endymion."

"I see. And that reason?" And to an extent, I did. I had a select few memories of Rei and Zoicite together, but I did remember some jealousy there.

"I am not at liberty to reveal that to you."

"Need I remind you-"

"No," Mars repeated. "Some things are better left unsaid, Minako. This particular incident is none of your damn business, and I have my reasons for concealing it. Just believe that Kunzite is not to be trusted by us, or any Senshi, in any time period." I sighed, defeated. Mars' forcefulness was much more powerful than Rei's, though not quite as raw. I needed to keep on guard, as this woman had experience and a temperament that I could not understand.

"So, Zoicite does not trust Kunzite." Only then did I notice Zoicite flinch every time the other man's name was mentioned. Rei locked eyes with Mars, who once again gave her the slightest of nods. Rei's shoulders suddenly sagged at the gesture; I had the feeling I'd find out whatever that incident was later. I felt as though she'd failed to tell me about a few things the fire had shown her. I couldn't keep the disappointment out of my voice as I continued. "You are under the impression we've been trying to contact you." Mars nodded again, this time more obviously. "And something has happened between the two of you to bring you to Earth in the 21st century."

"Earth?" Mars seemed slightly confused as she and Zoicite exchanged a look.

"The Senshi of this time period are Terrans," Rei interjected. "There... is no life, elsewhere in the system." Mars' brows knit together, much as Rei's often did. "When the Silver Millennium ended, nothing was spared but Earth."

"I see," the Martian shot back. The color of those eyes, the not-quite-the-same timbre of her voice and the nearness of Rei was overwhelming. Both women smelled like wood smoke, but while Rei smelled like wood smoke and incense, Mars smelled like wood smoke and blood pounding through exhausted veins.

"Why Earth?" Mars glanced sideways at her companion.

"I don't think anyone knows. I've seen the destruction in the fire." I could almost see her mentally adding _and what causes it_ to the end of that statement. She was lying, for Zoicite's sake. I wondered what she'd seen in the fire as well. "I was unaware it encompassed the entire system, or why Earth was spared." Zoicite seemed to accept it, although I could believe Mars' lack of knowledge about the reach of destruction. It was my turn to give Mars a slight nod. Rei shifted next to me and gave me a look. She agreed with me. All three of us knew Serenity was the cause, regardless of the result.

Mars stood and walked toward Rei's window. "That brings me back to the original question. Why are you trying to see into our lives? The two of you are forbidden as lovers. So what?" Leave it to her-in any life-to shut down in frustration.

"The time we live in is not like the time you lived—live in." Mars turned back to me, but Rei stood to meet her. The pair stood almost eye-to-eye for a long moment; Rei was slightly shorter. "Whatever it was that destroyed your era?" I shot a glance at Zoicite. "It was caused by Beryl. We defeated Beryl before our world came crashing down. We have no queen to answer to, and yet we're still cleaning up your mess." Mars sighed heavily.

"As I understand it, between what you're telling me and what the fire is telling me, here is what happens." She paused to collect her breath and put her thoughts into order. "Earth currently has dignitaries on the moon. Kunzite is not exactly... subtle... in his efforts to bed Minako." I raised a brow. "Err, Venus," she corrected. "From what I can see, it sounds as if the Queen sees some sort of tension building between Venus and I, or perhaps something occurs between myself and Kunzite. Either way..." She trailed off for a long moment, taking the moment to make eye contact with each of the three of us.

"Either way, my world will end with a bloodbath, and there is nothing I can do to prevent it."


	16. The Webs We Weave

"You walk between gods and men. Your only choices are between despair and hope!" - Greg Keyes, _The Blackgod_

The Webs We Weave: Mars Rei

I'd certainly gotten everyone's attention. The word "bloodbath" usually did that, though. The pieces were slowly beginning to fall into place, but the puzzle seemed to move faster with the Rei and Minako of this world working with me.

"Let's put this together a little more coherently." I leaned back against Rei's window; the Earth looked so different from what I had imagined. "Something has occurred in my time to prevent us-or you, I suppose-from loving each other freely." Minako nodded slightly. "You have begun to search into our lives to figure out how to reverse the Queen's order."

"So far, you're correct." The cant of Minako's head unsettled me. She looked so much like my own Minako that I could stretch out next to her and stare at the ceiling the way I did with the woman in my time. Those long moments after a grueling day relaxed us both, but our minds shifted gears freely to sort the issues of the day into a manageable thread.

"Your prying has revealed the existence of a Queen Beryl that Zoicite was unable to share." Zoicite blushed; Rei glared at him. Her temper was getting tiresome. If we were going to continue, I needed all the strength I had to keep this tangled web that sent us to the future holding up. "This 'Queen Beryl' has the power to destroy my world; it's quite possible she is the force that wiped out life across the entire solar system... Earth not included."

Zoicite piped up at that. "Queen Beryl is an Earthling. We..." He shifted uncomfortably; his furtive glances at his sword set my own nerves on edge. "We Shittenou pledged our loyalty to her, rather than Endymion." A shiver shot through me. My distaste for his deception began creeping up my stomach; I tried my best to choke it down.

 _I love him enough to risk my life, if I have to_.

Recalling those words steadied my breath a bit as I forced myself to pay attention to what he was saying. "I chose to pledge in order to stay close to my master. Kunzite was promised power. You know what kind of man he is," he said as he titled his head toward me. Turning to the others, he finished with, "and I can imagine what kind of man he is in your time. Power hungry, deceptive."

"Enough," Minako snapped at him. She'd begun to soften toward him, but his confession had undone all of the progress. "That's enough," she continued a bit more calmly. "You've admitted that you have pledged your loyalty to someone other than your master. Why should we trust you? I don't understand how Mars trusts you." His eyes turned down at the table toward him as he seemed to contemplate an answer that would placate her.

"I think you should tell her," I said, my voice feeling much more hoarse than before. He looked to me, fear in his wide eyes.

"No." Rei's voice was quiet; she hadn't spoken in some time. "That won't be necessary, Mars. I can draw my own conclusions. I can hope they're wrong." He shivered and looked away, anywhere but myself or Rei. "The fire usually isn't wrong," she said softly to herself. Minako bit her lip; I could see the frustration written on her face. She wasn't one to be left out in my life, and it seemed she was the same in the next life. She and I sighed, almost in unison.

"Care to share your conclusions, Reiko? I still can't see any reason to trust an enemy."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend." She turned back to me. "Even without the friendship we've formed, we'd still be working together. Kunzite is my enemy, and Kunzite is his enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend."

"Let's try this again," Rei started. "Something happened in the past to prevent our relationship. We're seeking the key to undoing that order."

"Yes."

"Our search has revealed a threat to you that you were unaware of."

"Keep going." Minako glared at me; I kept my eyes trained on this future version of myself that piqued my curiosity.

"Queen Beryl is probably what wiped out life everywhere but here." We senshi exchanged a look; we all knew that was not the case. Zoicite shifted uncomfortably.

"Probably." It was the best I had to offer; Rei seemed to accept it.

"Zoicite is trustworthy for some reason."

"For a damn good reason," I retorted. Rei cast a sidelong glance toward Minako.

"So what I'm seeing is this: the order was issued to save your world." I raised my eyebrow. My fire had long ago shown that Serenity would destroy the moon. The entire solar system was never included in that, nor was this Beryl woman. Something didn't add up. Was the enemy Serenity, or was it Beryl?

"Somehow, a god stepped in and ran block for the past," Zoicite mused. Minako cocked her head.

"Eh?"

"One of the gods must've seen what happens and created some reason for information to feed between the two timelines." I sat down next to him. I was tired, and his lack of energy was written over his face as well. "It explains why you haven't been stuck in some sort of time loop, too." Minako rubbed her temples.

"So it's the gods, is it?" Her question was more bristle than fur.

"It's the gods," I replied. We sat for a long moment, each looking at anything but one of the other three. I swiped the back of the hand over my brow to clear sweat, but...

* * *

Zoicite toppled heavily onto me; my head pounded the floor. "It was broken," he grumbled as he sat up. I looked around.

"Yeah, it was."

"It wasn't just a dream," he continued, regarding my civilian state.

"No, it wasn't," I grumbled as I summoned my Senshi form once more. "We just spent an hour rehashing everything we'd already said to gain some clarity. I think this has more consequences than we could imagine." He looked at me; the level of trust he was placing in me was extraordinary. "Please, excuse me, Zoicite. I need to meet with my commander." He nodded and dismissed himself, but as he left, I couldn't help but remind him why he trusted me. "I'll give you something else to report on later." His disarming smile slid back over his face, and he moved away purposefully.

It's the gods. Minako—my Minako—would have a field day with this.


	17. Welcome to the Freak Show

"When I think only of myself, I am scared. But knowing I am with you, I am not scared. We are in this together." - Cecil Palmer, _Welcome to Night Vale_ , Episode 54: "A Carnival Comes to Town"

Aino Minako: Welcome to the Freak Show

"I think the idea has some merit." Rei's eyes scanned back and forth as I paced across the room. I'd turned to speak to Mars, but she and Zoicite were gone. I guess magic, or emotion, or whatever it was had reached its breaking point.

"The damn gods, huh? Why would the gods want to interfere with our lives?" Rei rose and moved to stop my pacing. Her hands planted themselves firmly on my shoulders, and her eyes—the brown eyes of my lover, not the startling violet of her past—locked with mine.

"Minako." Her quiet voice, my name... it always held such power over me. "Minako, we are the avatars of Ares and Aphrodite themselves. Why wouldn't they intervene to allow that love affair to continue?" I felt myself exhale sharply.

"So Ares and Aphrodite are intervening?" Rei looked to the ceiling for a long moment before focusing her attention back on me.

"I don't think it's _our_ gods specifically, Mina."

"So who is?"

"I... don't know. The only thing I can come up with is Chronos."

"The god of time," I felt, more than heard myself say. "And with Zeus being the overthrower of Chronos..." I stopped to think a moment. "And Ares and Zeus were at odds."

"Zeus feared Ares."

"I don't remember Chronos caring. I don't remember Chronos and Ares ever interacting."

"The enemy of my enemy is my friend, Mina. Didn't Mars say that, about Zoicite? This is all speculation, anyway. So how do we find out for sure?" Rei cocked her head at me.

"I don't know," I admitted. "And why Zoicite? I worked with him once before. We see how that turned out. A bad idea is a bad idea." Her features softened considerably for a moment.

"Minako... In the fire, I saw... well, it's complicated. I didn't see it in the fire, but I remember seeing it in the fire."

"Seeing what, Rei?" She glanced to the side, trying not to make eye contact with me. That was alarming.

"He and Kunzite are enemies because Kunzite..." She sighed. "I'm not sure how to put this into words. It's not something I want to think about. It's not like that part of the past matters to our problem anyway."

"Just talk, Reiko. I need to know everything." She turned and locked eyes with me; the sudden contact was just as alarming as the lack of contact.

"Kunzite views Zoicite as inferior, as weak. Kunzite raped Zoicite, to teach him a lesson."

I felt sick.

The Zoicite I knew, while not my ally, was not a wholly evil being. He was a man very concerned for his master, in love with his master, even. He'd made bad choices, to be sure, but to violate him as a punishment?

I sat down and tried to keep the bile from creeping up my throat. No wonder Rei was so adamant about hating the past life. Rape as punishment? I knew such a thing existed in the here and now, but it was rather easy to forget. It wasn't so close to home. Regardless of Zoicite's ally or enemy status, he had been involved with major events that helped shape my personality, Rei's personality-really all of our personalities-through a bitter underground war. Our war and my illness made me who I am. To be thrown into a state of shock over this man should not have surprised me, but it did.

I felt strong arms wrap around me, and I inhaled deeply. The smell of wood smoke and incense calmed me, much as it did Rei, but for entirely different reasons.

As my heart rate began to slow back to normal, one thought continued to resound in my head: _now I understand._

 _Now I understand why Rei hates the past life._

For years, I'd assumed she wanted to love me for me, not because of Ares and Aphrodite, not because of a destiny she couldn't control. Rei needed to be in control of her own life. But that sudden realization that the Silver Millennium was not the paradise I remembered hit me hard.

A deluge of more painful moments came flooding back, and the range of the pain in them was incredible. I watched Makoto stop a pickpocket from taking an elderly lady's last bit of coin for food. I watched Ami stitch a little girl's abdomen back together, all the while praying to Aesculapius himself to save her. I watched Rei cough up some blood and resume a fight with a man I didn't recognize; I suddenly recalled the time she'd rescued a group of children from slavers intending to sell them on the Jovian sex market. I watched Makoto's shoulder hang limply from its socket as she stared at the Queen's would-be assassin—a dead Venusian at her feet. I saw tears stream down Ami's face as she claimed her first life—the first of many—in the war that ultimately destroy the system. And myself... I saw myself consumed by a hatred and rage the Goddess of Love was never meant to feel.

 _This is what Rei remembers_ , I realized once more. _This is what she hates_.


	18. Interlude III

"An Aphrodite for mortal souls/Playing hide and seek in lecherous roles/Their erotic hour, my tearless weep/Their satisfaction, my infinite sleep..." - Nightwish, "Passion and the Opera"

A (Very) Brief Interlude, III: Ares and Aphrodite

"Do you think it's unfair, to release those memories to her?" Ares ran his fingers through his beard and canted his head toward his lover. Aphrodite gave him a soft smile.

"As if it's fair that only Rei remembers how terrible life was, back then?" Ares bobbed his head in response. "I feel like Minako needs this. She is my avatar, after all."

"Yes, but Minako has been exposed to only small parts of the violence, by nature of who she is." He smiled back at her. "She is the goddess of love, after all." Aphrodite chuckled. As if she needed the reminder. "I just feel as though she had the memories she needed." Aphrodite snaked her arms around his shoulders.

"Again... as if it's fair for Rei?" The god shook his head and laced the fingers of one hand through the fingers of one of hers.

"Rei is the goddess of war. She remembers by her very nature. Her spirit will remember violence and war in every lifetime. I don't wish to continue this argument." Aphrodite sighed; she'd let it drop for the moment. "Whether the choice was right or wrong, I want to know one thing. Why did you give her the memory of Rei's death?"

"She needed it," the goddess supplied unhelpfully. Ares' shoulders sagged, but Aphrodite turned him to face her. "If you were gone, I'd feel it in my heart. I'd do anything I could to bring you back. If Minako feels the loss of her lover before it happens in this lifetime, even if it was after it's already happened..."

"Minako will do whatever it takes to fix it." She merely smiled in response. "Do you think our interference can help them?" Aphrodite raised a brow to him.

"Maybe. Our meddling may cause more problems." Ares laughed.

"Since when has that ever stopped a god?"

"It never has," she mumbled as she drew him nearer. "Zoicite made it possible. Our ability to sustain the feelings in them through the lovers and violence has already warped the timeline. Kunzite started acting unpredictably after that. If it changes things, it changes things. I trust them to sort it out." Ares wrapped his strong arms around her body.

"And then so shall I."

"Welcome home, my darling... Did you miss me?" Ares never responded, beyond kissing her soundly.

 _It's the gods._


	19. Interlude IV

**Author's notes:** Kagu-tsuchi is the Japanese _kami_ of fire. Legend goes that his birth was the end of the creation of the world and the beginning of death. Lyssa is the Greek goddess of mad frenzy/insanity. Benzaiten is the goddess of "everything that flows: water, time, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge." In any case, I wondered what the perspective of the fire _kami_ is during Rei's meditation, so here we go.

* * *

"How do you change the inevitable? The act of trying to change it could actually cause it to happen." ― Travis Luedke, The Shepherd

A (Very) Brief Interlude IV: Kagu-tsuchi

Dance, my flames. Show her the way, for she is the Avatar of Ares, but she is the soul of Kagu-tsuchi.

I shall guide her with the wisdom only the gods—dualities we may be—can hold. For we are eternal. I have died—beheaded by my own father—and yet, I am. She has died—in the service of her princess—and yet, she is.

The fire is shifting. Dance, my flames. Show her the way, for she is the soul of Kagu-tsuchi.

These gods, the untrue gods have interfered with what is rightfully mine. Ares may claim her, but she is the soul of Kagu-tsuchi. Ares seeks to fortify the one Aphrodite inhabits, but he neglects the very vessel he is confined to. It doesn't matter. Ares and Aphrodite may have their hearts, but the goddess of war has my soul.

Dance, my flames. Show her the way, for she is the soul of Kagu-tsuchi.

The meddling, the interference is what she cannot see. I wish to reveal this. I am aware, as I have been painfully aware since the day my blood dripped from my father's sword. My mother gave me Mizuhame, to tame me, to control me, to pacify me. My sister has shouldered a heavy burden. The Avatar of Aphrodite is meant to soothe and check the Avatar of Ares, much in the way I am kept in check by Mizuhame. Love checks war, just as water checks fire.

The flames flicker and grow ever hotter. Dance, my flames. Show her the way, for she is the soul of Kagu-tsuchi.

The god of war worries, not for his own, but for that life of his lover. His own, the life he lives through, is one of confusion. My flames, sacred and pure, lick hungrily at her eyes. Her mind cannot rest, and her heart is bared to me. Oh, how I wish to show her the distortion of time and space itself. The interference of the gods and the interference of the mortals will guide her to her solution. As time is altered, a decree is reversed. Love can check the war raging inside.

Dance, my flames, and show her the way, for she is the soul of Kagu-tsuchi.

She must create the solution with the power of this interference. As the first split in the timeline has occurred, many more must follow. A man has given himself to Lyssa, and this has made him beyond mad. Not mad, but evil. He has tarnished a man of Benzaiten. He has turned from truth to falsehoods. His war can never be checked with love. His war must lead to his destruction.

Dance, my flames.

She is my soul.


	20. Treason

**Author's notes:** I know it's taking forever for a reasonably simple and short story to be finished. It's all the point of view changes. (Yeah, I'm not doing this again for a longer fic.) Stay with me, though. I have a few chapters to write between this one and the last chapter, but the final chapter _has been written_.

* * *

"I've been dreaming for far too long, and my dreams all break, one by one. I'm still standing, still facing the wall... will I give in to distant calls?" - Sirenia's "One By One"

Treason: Mars Rei

Venus and Kunzite had spent most of the day meeting with Serenity and Endymion to discuss security arrangements for future visits; Zoicite and I had not been missed. I wasn't sure how long I'd spent pacing the same circuit in the antechamber leading to her bedroom, but I had watched the sun slip below the horizon and the light of Earth fill the sky.

"Sailor Mars." I turned toward my lover. The man beside her smiled shyly at me. I couldn't figure out why Zoicite was here.

"Mars," he acknowledged me with a shallow bow. I nodded. Venus' eyes darted between us; I could almost hear the unspoken question. She'd know soon enough why we'd become so familiar.

"Where's Kunzite?"

"Endymion has requested his counsel concerning a matter of his most trusted advisor's health. Nothing that should concern the Moon Kingdom. Zoicite, Sailor Mars... please, sit." We did as instructed. Ever the leader, Venus squared her shoulders and smiled diplomatically toward Zoicite. "Please fill us in on the information you indicated we should know."

His dark eyes seemed to tremble for a moment, and then he sucked in a deep breath. He knew he needed something to make him trustworthy in her eyes, but what? Our eyes locked, and his features visibly relaxed.

"Sailor Venus, I've been meeting with Mars Rei privately over these last few weeks concerning a very serious matter of security." She turned toward me, eyebrows forced into her hairline. She did not seem surprised, and that detail in and of itself surprised me.

"I'd like you to tell me why this was not brought to my attention prevoiusly... _Mars Rei_." She flinched slightly; my given name seemed to burn her tongue.

"There was nothing to tell until we pinned down the details, Venus. I trust him."

"You trust him, do you?" Her head cocked toward me oddly; she had apparently underestimated how much I trusted him. I tried to keep my voice calm and even as I spoke to him.

"We Martians are extremely protective of our given names, Zoicite." I turned back to my lover. "I trusted him enough to share my name." Her eyes narrowed and shot back and forth between us. I was usually good at reading both Venus my commander and Minako my lover, but in that instant, I had no idea where the shifting of gears in her head had gone.

* * *

"So we defeat her," Venus said simply.

"No, you can't. Queen Beryl has drawn enough power from Metallia that you cannot defeat her as she is." I growled at him subconciously.

"So you're telling me," she interjected, "that this queen we've never heard of is feeding off a god we've never heard of, and there is absolutely nothing we can do except die in this lifetime and nearly die in the next?" I sighed, not seeing the point in lying.

"That's exactly what we're telling you."

Venus chewed her lip. "This is a major issue, Mars." I nodded slowly. "We have the future in turmoil because of something that we supposedly do, we have the shittenou mired in some internal conflict that we don't understand, and to top it all off, we have Endymion and Serenity falling in love." I sighed; the roaring headache had returned full force.

"I think we're fucked, Venus." She nodded slowly.

"I think we are, Rei. I think we are."

* * *

The restless feeling that had been gnawing at the pit of my stomach for hours refused to be squelched. After Zoicite had left, Venus told me to stay, and then she sat down. "Let me think a moment," she'd said. And then she sat there, had been sitting, staring at me for hours. I squirmed slightly; her brown eyes never left my face. Minako had long ago let her transformation slip, but she had yet to let even the smallest sound slip. Her unusual behavoir was unnerving at first, but as time passed, it became torture. My own transformation was wavering with my unease. I turned to her window. The earth was beginning to set. I stood and started toward the door. "Reiko." I froze. "I have only one question for you."

I turned toward her slowly and rested my hands on the back of the chair I'd just vacated. A soft sigh slipped; I did not want to rehash this yet again. "Yes, Minako?"

"Do you intend to tell me the truth?" I blinked.

"What are you talking about?"

"I saw you!" Her voice was harsh, harsher than it had ever been with me. "I saw you by the fire. You asked him to play for you, you told him your name! You're lucky Kunzite came up behind me after you let that little personal detail slip." Her eyes were hard. I looked down at my hands and picked at my glove. "How long?"

"You were there when I told him, it seems."

"That's not what I'm fucking asking, Rei!" My eyes snapped back up to her face. "How long has this affair been going on?"

I sputtered in shock. "Affair? What in the _hell_ makes you think we're having a god damned affair?"

"It's not exactly like you to cuddle up to strange men, tell them your real name and kiss them," she sneered.

"Kiss him? When in the hell did I kiss him?"

"His cheek! It made me so _fucking sick_ that I had to leave." Her volume dropped dramatically at the end of her statement. My fingers finally piereced the upholstery and found purchase in the soft cotton stuffing beneath.

"Listen to me, Minako. There is nothing going on between us. There never has been, and there never will be. I don't know why the hell you're so damn jealous all of a sudden. It was your idea for me to feign interest in him to begin with!" Minako's jaw dropped.

"You're unreal, Rei! I never said such a thing!" I shook my head. I could _remember_ it! I grasped at the specific memory, but it was fuzzy. It didn't fit in the timeline of that day, the day I'd told her Zoicite had come to me about Kunzite. It was like someone had mashed that moment into my memory of the entire day, but it didn't quite fit. It was almost like my memory had changed, somehow.

"Even if I had," she growled, voice low, "I wouldn't want you to take it so far as to kiss him when the two of you are alone."

I lowered my face to mere inches from hers. "Minako, if you have forgotten, let me remind you... he's in love with Endymion. And let me remind you of this: I am in love with _you_!"

Her eyes were hard, but her words were harsher.

"Get out of my bedroom, Mars Rei. Get out of my bedroom, and do not come back."


	21. Rulers of a Burning World

"Time's not a line. It's a circle or a figure eight or a goddamn Slinky. If you can believe that, I don't know why you can't believe that someone might be able to glimpse something farther along the Slinky." ― Maggie Stiefvater, _The Dream Thieves_

Rulers of a Burning World: Aino Minako

She remembered so much more than I did. For years, I'd been the only one to truly remember anything... but whatever happened that night in the fire room for Mars Rei, whatever was causing the shifting timelines to tangle, had caused Hino Rei to remember far more of the past life than I did.

I'd always known of the evil in the Moon Kingdom, but it seems Aphrodite had withheld more of the darkness than I'd ever imagined possible. My darker memories had been consumed by the evil done to the senshi, but Rei... the darkness she felt was the pain of the Lunarian people. _I had always known_ , I kept thinking to myself.

When I remembered before, I always saw certain scraps. I was connected to the senshi in a way that no other soul would be; I had many of their painful memories because Venus had always tried to take their pain into herself, tried to help heal them. I could remember a brutal attack that left Ami― _Mercury?_ ―as a quiet, fearful woman. She was the Mercury most of us would remember because of that childhood assault. I could still recall drawing that pain from her, I felt slightly nauseated as the sense of betrayal washed over me. Her attacker had been a relative. Makoto had killed her own brother as he attempted regicide. Sure, it had been self defense, but against her own brother? The impact had been profound. Her wariness, her distrust, had come from that incident. A cold shiver shot through me at the memory. Rei's life-the pain that came with her memories-brought bile to my mouth. I shook my head, not caring to recall those moments. What bothered me the most, though, was that I'd forgotten, or perhaps, been protected from the suffering of the people. Rei had somehow unlocked all of this.

I felt my own betrayal. Heat consumed me and I began shaking when I felt Rei's pain at a specific memory snake through my soul. Confusion passed between us; it was like she was only remembering this moment herself. "How long has this affair been going on?" My voice sounded strange, even to me. I recognized the lilt to the Venusian, but I understood the language perfectly. "It made me so _fucking sick_ that I had to leave."

She'd betrayed me. I felt myself pull away from her in this life, but the heat burned through my head so hotly that my very soul was on fire.

Rei would never betray me. There had to be another explanation.

That bile continued to threaten me as so many memories flashed through my mind. I felt the fear of the Queen as I watched Makoto's clash with the would-be Venusian assassin that I had already recalled. She'd felt sheer terror, not only for her own life, but also for Makoto's. The sickening crunch of my comrade's arm as the man got the better of her caused me to flinch, but I was bothered the most by the calmness in her eyes as she pinned him down and slit his throat. A long moment passed, and then she stood and bowed with an apology for staining the carpet.

I had recalled the time Rei had prevented a group of children from being sold as sex slaves, but darker memories began to surface... memories from the points of view of the children. Pain, beatings, rapes... I felt myself groan in pain as my senses became completely overwhelmed. The fact that someone could do these things to mere children...

* * *

Rei's strong arms tightened around me, and I felt a forceful pull from the memories I'd been sucked into. My universe shrank from the expanse of the stars to the arms of this woman, this woman that whispered soft words to me. "Minako, shh..." I jerked suddenly, not realizing I'd been crying. Her fingers threaded themselves in my hair, and she smiled as I wiped away tears. "It's alright. You're back with me. You're here. Welcome home, my darling."

As if it were my cue, I supplied the next words for her with a shaky smile. "Did you miss me?"

Aphrodite may have protected me, but I never asked to be protected. I'm strong enough to sort out the past for myself, and Rei and I would do that together, just as we always did. I took a deep breath.

"Reiko. I need to know... did you ever cheat on me?" She blinked in surprise.

"No. You accused me, once..." She trailed off, shook her head and sighed. "I can't remember what happened, to be honest. It's like someone's cutting out certain memories and gluing in new ones." I could remember Artemis and Luna pressing Mars on the matter, and I vaguely remembered Venus stepping in and telling them an affair was impossible. I felt like the memory was dimmer than it had been a few days ago.

Then again, I didn't have this new memory of betrayal a few days ago.

"Rei," I said carefully, taking a moment to _really look_ at her. "Help me. I feel like I'm buried alive." She laced her fingers through mine.

"I don't know that I can, Minako." She was quiet as she said it. "I think the interaction of the timelines is causing events in the past life to change." She squeezed my hand gently and sucked in a deep breath. "We're going to put a stop to it, but I don't know that we can change anything to what it's supposed to be."

I kissed her gently and wound my arm around her shoulders, nudging her backward gently with my other hand. "Remind me what we're supposed to be, Reiko." The words were soft and low as I whispered against her lips. "Let me know that despite all of this, we are what we have always been."


	22. Interlude V

"Trusting no man as his friend, he could not recognize his enemy when the latter actually appeared." ― Nathaniel Hawthorne, _The Scarlet Letter_

A Brief Interlude V: Artemis and Luna

Artemis was absolutely incensed at what Venus had told him. "I don't understand," he growled as Luna took a seat next to him. "This is extremely out of character for Mars!" Luna gave him an aggravated swish of her tail; she was getting tired of his temper. He'd been on his tirade for a good hour.

"I'm sure there's something more going on, Artemis."

"You don't understand! Aphrodite herself gave Minako to me as a charge. I'm to serve her in any way she sees fit, but I'm supposed to _protect_ her too!" Luna studied her claws in an effort to keep her irritation in check.

"So Venus thinks Mars has engaged Zoicite in a relationship. _No one_ trusts the earthlings, least of all Sailor Mars. I don't think the interaction Venus observed matches up with the interaction Mars experienced." Artemis continued pacing, oblivious to her.

"I knew this was a bad idea!" Luna twitched her tail in frustration again.

"What the hell are you talking about, Artemis?"

"I should've put a stop to their relationship before attraction became love!" Luna sighed.

"Love?" Artemis' whiskers twitched in irritation. "Don't be so shocked that I know. They've hidden this fairly well, though I must admit I'm not particularly surprised. I was wondering when the two of them would figure out their love." He huffed in response.

"Well, now Mars has gone and destroyed their fate!" Luna's eyes narrowed at the other Mau.

"Are you doubting Mars' love for Venus?" Her voice was tense.

"Why shouldn't I? Since the shittenou arrived, she's spent more time with _Zoicite_ than with Venus! It's like..." he trailed of and shook his head. Luna stood and took a tentative step toward him. "It's like she got used to Venus' love, and then maybe got bored."

"You know that's not the truth, Artemis." She stretched and swished her tail again. "That's now who Mars is. And you know what Aphrodite would say, if she was here?"

"What?" It was more a growl than a question. Artemis knew damn well what the goddess would say.

"If love is something we get used to, why bother being born at all?" The pair stared at each other for a long moment, and then Artemis turned and wordlessly stalked from the room.

* * *

Mars Rei felt like pounding her head into the cool marble walls. She wondered if the violence against her body would do something to soothe the ache in her heart, but she couldn't muster the energy to get off the chair. Minako had thrown her out over a half truth and a false memory.

She wasn't sure where this memory came from, and she wasn't sure why she couldn't sense Minako creeping up behind them. Their connection had escaped her in that moment.

"I never kissed him!" It was somewhere between an angry roar and an agonizing sob. In her outburst, she missed the light scratching at her door. The voice from the other side of the door, however, caused her to jump.

"Mars, please let me in. I'd like to speak with you." The light accent was a definite tip-off to Luna's presence. Rei groaned and stood to open the door. She nearly missed the doorknob in the darkness she'd kept the small antechamber, but she finally managed to tear the door open. The cat and the Martian stared at each other a moment before Luna cleared her throat with another aggravated swish of her tail. "May I come in?" Rei wordlessly stepped to the side to allow the cat access before closing and locking the door. When she turned back to her guest, she was startled to find a woman standing in front of her rather than a cat.

"Who the hell are you?" Luna pinched the bridge of her nose.

"I had forgotten the lot of you were unaware of our human forms."

"Luna?" The small woman arched an eyebrow.

"I have a reason for being here, Mars." Shocked back to reality, Rei nodded and sat down, motioning for Luna to do the same. "I'd like to talk to you about Venus and Zoicite. I know... about you and Venus. And Artemis has filled me in about recent events concerning Zoicite." Rei flinched at Venus' name, but betrayed no other emotion. Luna leaned forward and locked Rei's eyes. "I need a clear idea of what's going on if we can fix this mess, Rei." The aforementioned Martian flinched again. Luna never used their given names.

Rei was so sick of rehashing the same details, but she launched into the lengthy story again. In that moment, Luna was the best chance the Moon Kingdom had against Queen Beryl. The smaller woman's eyes softened toward the Martian warrior as Rei wove her story.

Luna felt the senshi's full range of emotions during the tale, and finally, as Rei described her final interaction with Venus Minako, Luna stood and wound her arms around the other woman's shoulders.

She still had a duty to prepare Rei for the coming events.

After a long moment, Luna crouched to Rei's eye level and smiled sadly. "I hate this for you. I don't know how long the two of you have been lovers, but I must say I can take a guess. The pair of you suddenly came into your own as warriors and women at the same time... and dare I say, the world has been better for it." Rei smiled slightly as she wiped away her tears. "Unfortunately..." Luna trained her eyes on the wall; she wasn't sure she could bear the grief she was about to inflict. "I must perpare you for the inevitable event of Queen Serenity forbidding your relationship."

One sob. Rei was able to school herself with only one sob escaping.

"Rei-chan." Their eyes met again. "I mean that, both in this life and in future lives, too. The Queen will see this as a divided loyalty."

* * *

Several thousand years later, Artemis and Luna simultaneously awoke with a start. Though they were on opposite ends of the city, both immediately knew what to do.

For Artemis, convincing Minako to move on was the directive. He had disagreed with the Queen's orders for lifetimes, but the sudden memory of Venus crying, confiding, mourning to him was enough to change his mind in an instant.

Luna felt the need to rebuild the women she'd helped to destroy so long ago. The memory of clarity that Rei had given her was more than enough to give her clarity in this life, too. For the first time in her lives—any of them—she decided to disobey the Queen's orders. As she padded through the cool air of Tokyo's fall, she had no regrets for her disobedience—no matter the price.


	23. Interlude VI

"The most painful moments and memories eventually lead to the greatest strengths and growth in life." ― Kemi Sogunle

Interlude VI: Luna and Hino Rei

Rei tried to suppress the twitch in her fingertips and steady her breathing once again, but the juxtaposition of the cold in the room and the heat of the fire proved to be a distraction. Since Minako had headed home early that morning, Rei's unease had pushed itself more and more to the forefront of her mind; it seemed to completely overwhelm her sense of self. With a sigh, the young priestess stood. Meditation would yield nothing today, it seemed.

Just outside, Luna dozed lightly in front of the door. The slight scrape of the door in the frame was not enough to wake her, and Rei had not looked down as she stepped out of the fire room.

The result was one pissed off, yowling cat with one injured tail.

"Luna? What the hell are you doing here?" Rei was trying to keep the accusatory tone from creeping into her voice. Really, she was. Unfortunately, the last time she'd seen the cat, she was being told to end her relationship with the woman who was not just the love of her life, but the love of her _lives_.

"I'm getting stepped on!" Luna hadn't meant to snap, but being stepped on by someone significantly larger was not an ideal way to wake from a nap. After checking her tail, she turned her attention back to the priestess. "Mars, I'd like to head to your room, if possible. I made a terrible mistake." The pair stared at each other for a long moment; the stares had become a staple in the relationship. Rei finally nodded and scooped the cat up.

Once in the pair reached the safety of Rei's bedroom, Luna took a seat on Rei's desk. "What's this about, Luna?" The cat tried to stop the frustrated swish of her tail, but the appendage had a mind of its own. She bit back the yelp of pain and turned her attention back to the warrior.

"I made a terrible mistake, Mars. You and Venus are meant to be together."

If Luna had been a gambler, she would've hedged a heavy bet on an explosive outburst from the passionate young woman before her. Rei may have been a Terran in this life, but the fire of a Martian still poured through her veins. Confusion prevailed, however, when Rei merely sighed and shook her head.

"Why are you doing this?" Luna blinked and studied her paws as she put her thoughts together. She wished she had claws, instead of being trapped in her plush form.

"A memory resurfaced. You were mistreated then, and you're being mistreated now." Rei moved to the window. She didn't look at Luna as she spoke, choosing instead to watch leaves flutter in the wind.

"Mars Rei was wronged then, and I am being wronged now. I am not the same woman." Luna started to argue, but Rei turned the full intensity of that gaze on the plush. "Mars' actions have no bearing on my life, Luna. I love Minako. I realized that terminating the relationship is simply not an option."

"Then don't," Luna responded simply. "I didn't come here to keep you apart while telling you I disagree with the order. I came here to tell you the order is simply wrong, and you and Venus are better disregarding it altogether." If the plush could've smiled, she would've. "I can recall Mars disregarding a few orders. You and Mars may not be the same woman, but you have the same fire in your soul, Rei-chan." Rei turned back to the window. "For what it is worth, I know you-" Luna paused, "-I know Mars never kissed him." Rei slowly exhaled a deep breath she hadn't been aware of holding.

"Then why was I accused?" Luna sighed softly, realizing Rei was not going to turn to face her. The plush also thought it best not to comment on Rei's borderline acknowledgement that she and Mars were one and the same.

"Venus said she saw you kiss his cheek." Rei hissed.

"Venus didn't see a damn thing. I whispered something to him! I did _not_ kiss him!" The plush sat still for a long moment; Rei seemed to realize her unspoken acknowledgement. "Mars loved Venus," she ground out through gritted teeth. "Venus was a fool to mistrust her lover."

"I believe you." Rei snapped around and fixed her gaze on the plush; Luna felt as though the air had been sucked from the room. Surprise registered on the senshi's face for a long moment before the girl regained her wits and squashed the expression. "Mars Rei's loyalty is the basis of many old tales here on Earth. The people that descended here from the Moon Kingdom spread throughout the world and intermixed with the Terrans, and with them, they brought stories of the gods that walked among them."

"Gods," Rei almost laughed. "The gods exist because _they_ existed." She waved her hand dismissively toward the open window. If Luna could've thumped her tail in annoyance, she would've. "Is that what you're saying, Luna?"

"The gods have existed since long before your first life, Rei-chan. The Terran interpretation of gods exists because the Lunarians shared stories of their own gods."

"The Senshi."

"Yes. I'm sure you're familiar with the stories surrounding your love for Venus. Some of the stories of Senshi splintered off and became their own tales; new gods arose from the actions of old gods. I'm sure you're aware the Romans intertwined Sancus quite closely with Mars." Rei's eyes narrowed as she processed the information.

"What are you trying to accomplish, Luna? First, you instruct me to end my relationship with Minako. Now you're telling me that my past life created multiple Roman gods and what―I should date Minako?" The priestess huffed. "Make up your mind."

"Follow your heart." A mirthless chuckle shook the priestess' shoulders lightly.

"Yeah. I'll get right on that."


End file.
